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Photograpiiic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


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Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


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modification  dans  la  mdthode  normale  de  fiimage 
sont  indiqu6s  ci-dessous. 


D 


D 


n 


n 


n 


n 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommagie 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurie  et/ou  pelliculie 


I      I    Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


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Reli6 


Bound  with  other  material/ 
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This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmA  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqui  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

,/ 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


ails 

du 

difier 

une 

lage 


Th«  copy  filmad  h«r«  hat  baan  raproducad  thanks 
to  tha  ganaroaity  of: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archival  of  British  Columbia 

Tha  imagas  appaaring  hara  ara  ;ha  bast  quality 
posslbia  consldaring  tha  condition  and  laglbllity 
of  th4  original  copy  and  In  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spaclflcations. 


Original  coplas  in  pr  ntad  papar  covars  ara  filmad 
baginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  last  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impras- 
sion,  or  tha  back  covar  whan  approprlata.  All 
othar  original  coplas  ara  filmad  baginning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impras- 
sion,  and  anding  on  tha  last  paga  with  a  printed 
or  illustratad  imprassion. 


Tha  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  —^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
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beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


L'exemplaira  film*  fut  raprodult  grAce  A  la 
giriArosit*  da: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 

Las  Imagas  sulvantas  ont  At*  raproduites  avac  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compta  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
da  ia  nettet*  de  l'exemplaira  film*,  at  en 
conformity  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplalres  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimte  sont  fllmAs  en  commenqant 
par  le  premier  plat  at  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  las  autras  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmAs  en  commengant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derniire  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
emprointe. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
darniire  image  de  chaque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — ^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE  ",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartas,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
filmAs  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diffArents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clich*.  il  est  film*  *  partir 
de  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  *  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n*cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m*thode. 


rata 


elure, 
* 


J 


32X 


1 

2 

3 

1  2  3 

4  5  6 


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•  (i 


OREGON 


COMFRISINO    A 


BRIEF  HISTORY  AND  FULL  DESCRIITION 


OF   THE   TERRITORIES   OF 


OREGON  AND  WASHINGTON, 


lUBRACIKO  TBI 

CITIES,    TOWNS,    RIVERS,    MATS, 

HARBORS,    COASTS,    MOUNTAIliS,    VALLEYS, 

PRAIRIES    AND    PLAINS;    TOGETHER   WITH    REMARKS 

IPON   TUB    SOCIAL   POSITION,    PRODUCTIONS,    RESOURCES    AND 

PROSPECTS   OF  THE    COUNl'HV,  A  DISSERTATION  UPON 

THE  CLIMATE,  AND  A  FULL   DESCRIPTION    OF 

THE    INDIAN  TRIHES    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

SLOPE,  THEIR  MANNER*,  ETC. 

INTERSPERSED   WITH 

INCIDENTS  OF  TRAVEL  AND  AD  VENTURE. 


BY   A.  N.  ARMSTRONCl. 

FOR    THRU    TEARS    A    OOVIRNUENT    BURYEIOR    IM    ORIQON. 


CHICAGO  ; 

PUBIISHID    BT    OHAB.    SCOTT    (t    CO. 

mi." 


9^ 


.4 


V-'*  -e  " 


t,'  »^' 


Entered  nccordius  t«  the  Act  of  CougrcM  in  the  year  1857,  by 

A  .     N  .     A  K  JI  S  T  R  O  N  G  , 

111   th.!  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  ytato.-.  for  the 
Northeru  District  of  Il]iuul.<i. 


CIIA8.    SCOTT    &    CO. 
PRINTEKS    &    BINDERS, 

CHICACll),     rU.INOIB. 


J.  ConaliHn,  Storeotj-pfir, 


COPY  OF  CORRESPONDENCE. 


Wabash,  Ind.,  June  28,  1856, 
Dkau  Sir  • — As  1  know  that  you  have,  for  many  years,  been 
cngujifod  in  surveying  in  most  of  the  Western  States,  and  that 
you  have  been,  for  several  years  just  past,  eonnccted  with  the 
Government  Surveys  in  Oregon  Territory,  I  am  satisfied  that 
your  long  oxpcriencc  in  the  Western  country,  and  the  facilities 
afforded  you,  by  your  occupation,  for  exploring  the  country, 
qualify  you,  in  no  ordinary  degree,  to  give  us  a  full  description  of 
Oregon  Territory.  Will  you,  therefore,  at  your  first  leisure, 
give  us  some  information  respecting  that  country  that  can 
he  relied  upon  ;  and  greatly  oblige,  not  only  the  writer,  but 
many  of  your  old  friends. 

With  esteem,  &c., 


Maj.  a.  N.  Armstrong, 

Oquawku,  111. 


Dear  Sir  : — In  complying  with  the  request  embodied  in  your 
complimentary  note,  I  must  premise  any  description  I  may 
attempt  giving  you  with  the  remark  that  few,  except  those  who 
arc  at  least  partially  acquainted  with  the  Territory  of  Oregon, 
can  form  a  correct  idea  of  the  difficulties  attending  the  per- 
formance of  the  task  you  have  assigned  me.  This  far-famed 
Oregon,  and,  indeed,  all  this  portion  of  the  Pacific  Coast — differs 
so  much  from  any  other  part  of  the  United  States,  that  the  best 
geographical  description  that  can  be  given  of  it  will  impart  but 
a  feeble  idea  of  the  reality,  to  one  who  has  never  beheld  it. 

Oregon  is  a  beautiful,  romantic,  and  healthful  clime.  A 
birds-eye  view  of  the  landscape  will  reveal  the  features  that 
make  up  a  scene  of  surpassing  loveliness.  The  level  prairie, 
covered  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  grass ;  here  and  there 
a  round,  bare  butte — an  isolated  mountain,  destitute  of  timber — 
rising  up  from  the  level  plain  to  the  height  of  from  fifty  to  two 
hundred  feet,  green  as  a  meadow  both  winter  and  summer ;  scat- 


2s::\i 


IV 


COl'Y   OF   CORKESI>UNl>EMC£. 


tcring  white  oaks,  with  occasionally  a  skirt  of  fir  timber 
stretching  far  out  into  the  prairie.  From  North  to  South,  ex- 
tending as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  through  the  center  of  the 
Territory,  stretches  the  celebrated  range  of  Cascade  Mountains, 
with  occasionally  a  snow-covered  peak  lifting  its  lofty  head 
almost  to  the  skies,  and  in  summer,  when  the  sun  shines  down 
in  all  his  glory  upon  the  white  mantle  that  encircles  its  brow, 
seeming  to  wear  a  glittering  crown  of  majestic  grandeur. 
Delightful  groves  of  fir,  spruce,  and  white  cedar  that  are  not  sur- 
passed in  the  world ;  mountain  streams  without  number,  and 
beautiful  springs  of  pure,  running  water,  rippling  over  their 
smooth  gravel  beds,  to  cool  and  quench  the  thirst  of  the  worn- 
out  emigrant  who  has  toiled  for  months  and  run  a  thousand  risks 
of  his  life,  and  now,  as  ho  hails  the  beautiful  Land  of  Tromisc, 
eagerly  springs  fonvard,  dropping  on  his  knees  by  the  cooling 
brook  which  kisses  the  parched  lips  that  approach  its  silvery 
wavelets. 

Having  taken  this  birds-eye  view,  add  to  these  elements  of 
beauty  a  climate  that  imparts  vigor  and  robust  health — a  fertility 
of  soil  tiiat  commends  itself  to  every  settler  as  being  all  that 
could  be  desired — and  the  boundless  facilities  for  stock-grazing — 
and  you  have  before  you  the  Territory  of  Oregon,  combining,  in 
a  degree  seldom  met  with,  the  Beautiful  with  the  Practical. 
This  is  the  Territory  of  which  you  ask  me  to  give  you  a  detailed 
description  !  The  task  looms  up  like  the  Cascade  Range  as  an 
obstacle  in  the  path  ;  but,  glancing  at  my  crowded  note  book,  that 
accompanied  me  in  many  weary  miles  o'er  mountain  and  valley, 
while  exploring  this  region  from  North  to  South  and  from  East 
to  West,  I  yield  to  the  inclination  that  prompts  me  to  comply 
with  the  wishes  of  my  friends,  and  respectfully  refer  you  and  the 
public  to  the  following  pages,  wherein  I  have  attempted  sur- 
mounting the  difliculties  that  were  arrayed  against  me — whether 
successfully,  or  otherwise,  must  not  be  decided  by 

THE  AUTHOR. 


Int 


IJ 


/ 


Vl 


,J#*^ 


INDEX. 


Introductoky  Correspondence 3 

I.     IIlSTOKY  • "^ 

A  l)ricf  sketch  of  the  History  of  Oregon  from 
the  cession  by  Spain  to  Franco  in  17G2  ;  Set- 
tlement of  the  country. 

II.     The  Willamette  River 10 

The  River  ;  Portland  ;  Oregon  City  ;  The  Great 
Falls  ;  Catching  Salmon  ;  Canemah  ;  Bute- 
ville  ;  The  French  ;  The  Yamhill ;  Salem  ; 
Blooniington  ;  Albany  ;  Marysville  ;  Mary's 
Peak ;  Spencer's  Butte  ;  The  Cascade  Moun- 
tains ;  Timber,  &c. 

III.  Tributary  Streams  of  the  Willamette 22 

A  description  of  all  the  Tributaries  of  the  Willa- 
mette ;  A  Remarkable  Curiosity. 

IV.  The  Coast  Mountains 29 

Description  ;  Discovery  by  the  Author ;  Won- 
derful Lake ;  Timber. 

V.     Berries    35 

VI.     The  Willamette  Valley 37 

The  Valley ;  Snowy  Peaks  ;  Reflections  ;  Grass ; 
Cattle;  The  Oregon  Horseman;  The  Soil; 
Productions. 

VII .     Umpqua  River  and  Valley 44 

description  ;    Tributaries  ;   Towns ;    Fisheries ; 
Hon.  Jo.  Lane. 

VIII.     RoouE  River  and  Valley 50 

Description  ;  Tributaries  ;  Gold  ;  Towns  ;  Min- 
ing Intelligence  ;  The  Siskiou  Mountains. 

IX .     Coasts  and  Harbors 57 

Full    Description;    Gold;    Indians;    "Battle 
«  Rock  ;"  Thrilling  Incident ;  Personal  Adven- 

tures ;  Sea  Lions  ;  Fisheries :  Oysters  ;  Paget 
Sound  Country  ;  Vancouver  Island. 


mm 


vi 


INDEX. 


II   . 


X.  Kartern  and  Middle  Oregon 86 

Description  of  the  Country ;  Rivers ;  Indian 
Tribes ;  Resources  ;  Mines  ;  Settlement,  &o., 
&c. 

XI.  The  Climate 95 

Mildness  of  Climato;  Theory  of  the  Author; 
Weather  Table. 

XII.     The  Indian  Tribes 99 

Description  of  the  various  Tribes ;  Their  Cus- 
toms, Modes  of  Life,  Peculiarities,  Lan- 
guage, &c. ;  Embracing  numerous  Anecdotes 
and  Adventures  illustrative  of  Indian  Char- 
acter, and  an  outline  of  the  "  Jargon  "  Lan- 
guage. 

The  Indian  War I47 


T 


86 

[lian 
&c., 


.95 


lor ; 


OREGON 


99 

I!us- 
jiiii- 
otes 
har- 
lian- 


...147 


I. 


In  the  yoar  1762,  France  ceded  to  Spain  tho 
Territory  of  Louisiana.  In  that  treaty,  Spain 
claimed  to  bo  the  ])Ossessor  of  the  whole  North- 
West  I'crritory,  including  Orejron.  The  Spanish 
(rovcrunient  built  a  ibrt  and  planted  a  colony  in 
latitude  nO"  30'  N.,  near  Nootka  Sound,  in  1780, 
the  country  at  that  time  being  inhabited  by  an 
iiiunciiso  number  of  savage  Indians.  The  settle- 
iiuMit  was  abandoned  in  17U2 — the  same  year  in 
which  Capt.  Gray  ascended  the  Columbia  river, 
lu  l.SOO,  Spain  ceded  the  whole  of  Louisiana,  in- 
cluding Oregon,  to  France  ;  and  in  1803,  France 
ceded  the  whole  to  the  United  States. 

During  this  period,  several  whaling  vessels  had 
j)assed  and  visited  this  coast.  In  the  year  1802, 
the  ship  Boston,  Capt.  John  Salter,  from  Boston, 
Mass.,  visited  this  coast,  while  upon  a  whaling 
expedition,  and  j)ut  into  Nootka  Sound  for  a  sujv 
ply  of  fresh  water.  While  they  were  uf)on  shore, 
the  captain  and  crew  were  attacked  by  a  party  of 
savages,  and  all  killed  except  two  men — one  John 
R.  Jewett,  and  a  man  named  Tr  '^on.  They 
were  kept  in  a  state  of  abject  slavery  among  the 


oRrr.oN. 


Indians,  durinjij  the  sp.-icr  of  two  years  and  a  half. 
Ok\vI':tt  being  a  gunsmith,  the  natives  availed  thtjni- 
selvcs  of  his  skill  in  making  knives  and  fishing 
instruments.  Tiiomi'son  was  a  sail  nuiker,  which 
made  him  very  useful  to  the  Indians,  as  they  got 
a  large  amount  of  sail  cloth  from  the  shij).  Dur- 
ing the  period  of  their  captivity,  they  suflered  un- 
told hardships — being  compelled  to  labor  unceas- 
ingly, and  to  live  on  fish  and  whale  oil — until, 
finally,  they  wore  released  I'rom  their  tiiraldom  by 
the  strategy  and  skill  of  the  brave  and  unfaltering 
Jewetp. 

From  1802  until  1804,  the  Oregon  coast  was 
occasionally  visited  by  both  American  and  JJritish 
vessels  engaged  in  the  fur  trade,  and  l)y  parties 
belonging  to  both  countries  who  traveled  over  the 
country  in  search  of  furs  and  peltries. 

In  the  year  1804,  during  the  administration  of 
Thomas  Jefferson,  the  purchase  having  been  made 
from  France  the  year  previous,  the  President,  with 
great  wisdom  and  prudence,  thought  the  newly  ac- 
quired territory  should  be  explored.  After  con- 
siderable search  and  inquiry  for  parties  adequate 
to  this  great  undertaking,  which  required  men  pos- 
sessed, in  an  eminent  degree,  of  perseverance,  skill, 
energy  and  fortitude,  to  enable  them  to  venture  out 
among  the  savages  and  wild  beasts  which  were  said 
to  infest  the  Rocky  mountains, — with  the  certainty 
before  them  of  having  to  spend  one  or  two  winters 
in  that  far  northern  climate,  then  supposed  to  be 
immensely  cold,  he  finally  made  choice  of  Messrs. 


i 


HISTORY. 


9 


Lkwis  and  Clauk,  as  bciiifj  men  (lualifiod  for  the 
task.  Tliuy  vvcro  both  notorious  for  their  great 
courage  and  bravery,  and  were  known  to  bo  men 
of  until  ing  and  unfaltering  perseverance. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1804,  Lkwis  and  Clark's 
Exi'KDiTioN  set  out;  passing  up  th '  ^Tissouri  river, 
they  struck  across  the  Rocky  mouiiains  to  tho 
liead  waters  of  some  of  the  tribut,  rios  of  the  Co- 
lumbia river,  along  which  they  fi^llowcJ  until  they 
reached  that  river,  which  they  descended  to  the 
ocean.  They  spent  the  winter  in  Llio  valley,  and, 
to  their  great  astonishment,  in  thia  far  northern 
region, — latitude  40"  5', — there  was  no  ice,  but 
little  snow  (which  socm  melted  ofl),  and  grass  as 
green  as  a  wheat  lleld.  They  returned  in  tho 
spring  of  1805,  with  a  glowing  description  of  tho 
far  off  country,  but  there  was  very  little  anxiety 
expressed  by  the  citizens  to  venture  out  for 
settlemenL. 

The  British  and  Americans  each  made  occar 
sional  settlements,  consisting  mainly  of  young  men, 
hunters  and  trajjpers,  there  being  but  few  women 
in  the  country  at  that  time. 

John  Jacob  Astor,  the  great  American  trader, 
brought  into  the  country  a  great  many  French,  for 
the  purpose  of  hunting  and  trapping,  the  defence 
of  his  forts,  .ind  the  protection  of  his  goods  from 
the  roguish  natives.  These  French,  scattered  over 
the  country,  intermarried  with  the  natives,  and 
their  descendants  are,  to  this  day,  a  great  an- 
noyance to  the  present  settlers  of  Oregon.    So  the 


10 


OREGON. 


British  and  Americans  held  possession  jointly,  un- 
til the  year  1846,  when  all  that  part  soutli  of  49° 
north  latitude,  was  ceded  to  the  United  States  by 
Great  Britain. 

About  the  year  1836,  there  began  to  be  some 
di^'position  manifested,  by  the  citizens  of  the  west- 
ern States,  to  visit  and  settle  Oregon.  A  few 
traders  and  some  scattering  companies  began  to 
cross  the  i)lains.  In  1840,  a  considerable  company 
came  over  with  packed  mules ;  in  1841  and  '42, 
several  other  companies  of  packers  came  over ; 
ambition  became  high  in  1843,  and  quite  a  number 
of  families  left  the  Missouri  river  with  wagons  and 
cattle,  and  succeeded  in  getting  their  w^agons  to 
Walla-Walla,  where  Dr.  Whitman  held  a  Mis 
sion  Station,  and  packed  from  there  into  the  valley, 
a  distance  of  about  five  imndred  miles  ;  in  the  year 
1844,  the  emigration  brought  their  wagons  into 
the  settlements ;  and  from  that  period,  immigration 
poured  in  rapidly. 


II. 


The  Willamette  River  affords  the  largest 
amount  of  bottom  land,  the  largest  valley,  and 
the  best  farming  country,  to  be  found  upon  any 
stream  in  the  Territory.  The  river  is  about  one 
hundred  and  eighty  miles  in  length.  It  rises  in 
the  Cascade  mountains,  and  runs  a  north-west 
course  for  the  first  twenty  miles,  then  bears  more 


THE   WILLAMETTE   RIVER. 


11 


north  and  takes  its  many  windings,  emptying  into 
the  Columbia  about  a  hundred  miles  above  its 
mouth.  There  are  many  beautiful  towns  and  vil- 
lages upon  the  Willamette. 

Portland,  situated  on  the  south-west  side  of 
the  river,  fifteen  miles  above  its  mouth,  is  tlie  head 
of  ship  navigation,  and  is  the  largest  and  most 
commercial  town  in  the  Territory.  From  this  point, 
steamboats  ply  regularly  to  all  the  ports  on  the  Co- 
lumbia, while  a  daily  line  of  packets  is  established 
(between  Portland  and  Oregon  City.  The  com- 
mon tide  water  at  Portland  is  about  six  feet. 

Oregon  City,  situated  on  the  east  bank  of  the 
Willamette,  immediately  below  the  Great  Falls,  is 
destined  to  be  one  of  tlie  greatest  manufacturing 
cities  in  the  Western  world.  Nature  never  made 
so  lavish  an  expenditure  in  preparing  conveniences 
for  man's  use,  that  some  enterprising  Yankee  did 
not  stand  ready  to  appreciate  the  ofl'cr  and  avail 
himself  of  its  advantages.  The  manufacturing  fa- 
cilities of  this  place  will  soon  be  brought  to  give 
employment  to  numerous  operatives,  and  bo  of 
great  advantage  to  all  parts  v,f  Oregon  and  Cali- 
fornia ;  tliere  are  now  two  flouring  mills  and  two 
saw  mills,  doing  an  immense  business.  The  Great 
Falls  are  a  curiosity  Avorthy  a  moment's  attention ; 
the  whole  bed  of  the  river  is  covered  with  a  solid 
rock, — a  sort  of  wall  or  barricade  extending  across 
the  stream, — over  which  the  water  comes  roaring 
and  foaming,  making  one  single  leap  of  twentj/- 
three  feet.     The  fact  that  you  can  sit  in  most  of 


12 


OREGON. 


the  doors  in  Oregon  City  aud  be  able  to  have  a  fair 
view  of  the  Falls,  adds  much  to  the  romantic  beauty 
of  its  locality.  The  city  is  situated  immediately  on 
the  bank  of  the  river,  with  a  high  clifl',  hanging 
with  perpendicular  walls  of  solid  rock,  from  two 
hundred  to  three  hundred  feet  high.  There  is  a 
narrow  strip  of  level  land  between  the  cliff  and  the 
river,  on  which  the  town  stands.  The  town  is  about 
forty  chains  in  length  and  four  chains  in  breadth, 
and  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  the  Territory. 

The  view  from  the  top  of  the  cliff  overhanging 
the  town,  is  a  magnificent  one  indeed.  You  can 
see  every  house  in  the  city ;  the  steamboats  plying 
upon  the  river  both  above  and  below  the  rapids ; 
the  foaming  waters  as  they  make  their  desperate 
leap  and  hurry  headlong  forward  in  their  mad 
haste  to  join  the  more  troubled  waters  of  the  broad 
Pacific ;  the  village  of  Lynn,  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  stream  ;  and  the  country  for  miles  around. 

From  the  brow  of  this  cliff  I  beheld  the  Calla- 
pooya  Indians  catching  salmon,  and  for  the  enter- 
tainment of  my  readers  I  will  describe  the  manner 
in  which  they  conduct  this  sport.  In  the  months 
of  May  and  June,  the  salmon  ascend  the  Willa- 
mette river  as  far  as  the  Falls ;  not  being  satisfied, 
however,  with  the  waters  oelow,  they  strive  hard 
to  ascend  further,  and  gathering  in  great  schools 
below  the  Falls,  commence  to  leap  upward  against 
the  down-pouring  torrent  of  water ;  of  course 
their  efforts  are  all  in  vain,  but  their  perseverance 
is  wonderful,  and  their  leaps  are  so  perpetual  that 


THE   WILLAMETTE   RIVER. 


18 


you  can  often  see  fifty  large  fish,  that  would  -w  cigh 
thirty  pounds  each,  in  the  air  at  one  time.  You  will 
sec  the  Indian  fisherman  approach  in  his  skifl'  with 
his  spear  in  hand,  make  a  "lunge"  at  the  huge 
fish  he  has  selected,  and  so  soon  as  his  prey  is  fast 
on  his  spear,  you  will  hear  his  savage  yell  of  exult- 
ation, which  is  answered  by  all  his  tribe  who  are 
within  hearing.  The  Indian's  spear  for  catching  fish 
is  made  out  of  a  piece  of  bone  or  horn,  sharpened 
to  a  point,  and  fastened  to  a  pole  or  handle  iwelve 
or  fifteen  feet  in  length.  A  hole  is  bored  through 
this  barb,  and  a  string  about  a  foot  long  passed 
through  it ;  the  spear  is  then  fitted  to  the  end  of 
the  pole,  one  end  being  hollowed  for  this  purpose, 
and  the  string  is  tied  loosely  to  the  handle ;  when 
the  spear  has  been  driven  through  the  fish,  the 
handle  is  drawn  back  quickly,  while  the  point  re- 
mains on  the  opposite  side,  and  the  fish  is  strung 
upon  the  string  which  connects  the  spear  and  pole. 
The  Indians  are  expert  fishermen,  seldom  missing 
their  mark,  and  can  take  great  numbers  of  salmon 
in  a  day.  They  may  be  seen  constantly  walking 
the  streets  with  their  fish  on  their  backs,  for  sale. 
The  salmon  is  a  delicious  fish.  They  have  no  bone 
but  the  spine  and  ribs,  and  the  flesh,  instead  of 
being  white,  is  as  red  as  beef-steak. 

Immediately  above  Oregon  City,  the  bluff,  or 
cliff,  juts  in,  almost  a  solid  wall  of  rock,  close  to 
the  water's  edge.  Through  this,  a  wagon  road  has 
been  cut,  at  great  expense,  for  the  purpose  of  haul- 
ing goods  above  the  Rapids  to  a  little  village  called 


14 


OREGON. 


l;i! 


lit 

lit  ' 


Canemaii,  whore  all  produce  is  taken  on  or  put  off 
the  small  boats  that  run  above  the  Rapids  to  liic 


up  country.  At  this  place,  a  mclanclioly  accident 
happened  in  the  month  of  April,  1854,  by  the  ex- 
plosion of  the  boilers  of  the  steamer  Gazelle^  which 
resulted  in  killing  twenty-six  persons,  and  wound- 
ing eighteen  others.  Great  excitement  prevailed. 
The  circumstances  arc  something  like  these :  A 
certain  company  owned  the  Avhole  line  of  steamers 
on  the  Upper  Willamette,  and  this  boat  had  been 
put  on  to  run  in  opposition,  and  had  made  but  thi»ec 
or  four  trips,  before  she  was  blown  into  a  thousand 
fragments.  The  boat  was  still  cabled  to  the  shore, 
but  making  preparations  to  start,  when  the  explo- 
sion took  place.  It  appeared  that  the  engineer 
had  weighted  down  the  safety  valve,  and  had  left 
the  boat,  unobserved,  and  when  the  boat  was  blown 
up,  was  no  where  to  be  found.  Some  time  after- 
ward, however,  he  was  discovered,  arrested  and 
tried  for  murder ;  but  it  could  not  be  proven  that 
he  did  it  intentionally — only  that  he  was  drunk, 
or  partially  intoxicated. 

As  we  ascend  the  river,  fifteen  miles  above 
Canemah  we  find  Buteville,  a  small  village 
sit  jatcd  on  the  east  bank  of  the  river.  The  name 
took  its  rise  from  a  beautiful  round,  bare  butte, 
which  rises  some  four  hundred  feet  above  the 
level,  being  not  more  than  twenty  chains  in  cir- 
cumference at  the  base.  Three  miles  further  we 
come  to  the  little  village  of  Champoeg.  This  is 
a  small  village,  but  a  place  of  trade,  it  being  situ- 


' 


1 


THE   WILLAMETTE   RIVER. 


16 


ated  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  "  French 
Praiiiie,"  whicli  derives  its  name  from  the  fact 
that  it  was  principally  settled  at  an  early  day,  by 
the  French  who  were  brought  to  Oregon  by  the 
Fur  Company,  and  established  here  for  the  pur- 
pose of  raising  wheat  for  the  supply  of  the  trading 
posts.  They  soon  intermarried  with  squaws,  and 
have  continued  to  reside  here,  and  have  now  large 
amounts  of  land  in  wheat.  They  now  raise 
large  amounts  of  wheat,  which  is  all  shipped 
from  Champoeg.  The  French  are  not  liked 
at  all  by  the  other  citizens  of  Oregon.  They 
speak  their  own  language,  and  have  no  more 
manners  than  the  Indians — care  nothing  for 
schools — and  are  kept  in  ignorance  by  their 
Romish  priesthood.  Although  they  raise  large 
amounts  of  wheat  and  stock,  they  are  generally 
poor  and  "  hard  run"  for  money,  as  it  takes 
all  they  can  make  to  pay  their  priests  for  par- 
doning their  numerous  sins.  Quite  an  excitement 
is  now  up,  as  it  appears  from  the  Donation  Law 
passed  by  Congress,  in  donating  land  to  the 
settlers  of  Oregon,  that  a  Frenchman  and  his 
wife,  and  their  offspring,  are  as  much  benefited 
by  that  law  as  an  American  citizen ;  (the  man  re- 
ceiving three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  his 
Indian  wife  the  same.)  They  are  at  present  a 
great  annoyance  to  the  country,  and  but  little 
profit,  but  as  soon  as  they  get  patents  to  their 
land,  a  groat  portion  of  them  will  sell  out.     I  will 


16 


OREGON. 


H\ 


m 


m 


add,  to  their  credit,  however,  that  they  made 
good  soldiers  in  tlic  Indian  war  of  1850. 

Ten  miles  from  Champocg  is  the  mouth  of  the 
Yamhill  river,  which  steamboats  ascend  to  Day- 
ton, which  is  five  miles  from  the  mouth.  Three 
miles  above  Dayton  is  Lafayeite,  the  head  of 
steam  navigation,  and  the  county  seat  of  Yamhill 
county — a  fine  place  of  business,  as  the  county  is 
well  settled  with  wealthy  farmers,  who  mostly  got 
their  stock  and  start  before  the  discovery  of  gold 
in  California,  and  they  deal  liberally  in  merchan- 
dise. In  this  county  was  made  the  first  settlement 
of  good  farmers  that  came  from  the  States,  who 
selected  their  large  land  claims,  and  now  liave 
them  all  improved.  It  was  in  this  county  that  the 
early  settlers  lived  on  boiled  wheat  the  whole 
winter  through ;  and  wore  their  buckskin  cloth- 
ing, and  moccasins  for  shoes — all  sewed  wath 
"  whang-s,'"  as  there  was  neither  cloth,  thread,  nor 
leather  in  the  country ;  but  those  of  the  pioneers 
who  are  yet  alive,  are  living  at  ease  and  taking 
their  comfort. 

Ascending  the  Willamette,  seven  miles  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Yamhill  is  Fairfield,  a  small 
landing  for  steamboats,  where  but  little  business 
is  done.  Twelve  miles  i^i-thcr  up  we  come  to 
Salem,  the  present  capital  of  the  Territory.  This 
city  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  the  Willamette, 
and  is  beautifully  located,  being  moderately  level 
and  gravelly.  The  streets  arc  mostly  covered 
with  ,:mooth,  round  gravel — well  paved,  not  by  the 


I 


THE   WILLAMETTE   RIVER. 


17 


labor  of  man,  but  by  the  hand  of  the  Almighty. 
It  is  well  watered,  as  there  is  a  beautiful  stream 
called  Mill  creek  running  through  the  north  side 
of  the  town,  another  creek  equally  as  good  on  the 
south  side,  both  with  beautiful  gravelly  beds.  It 
is  a  place  of  considerable  wealth,  and  great  trade, 
and  when  the  Legislature  is  in  session  the  hotels 
arc  crowded.  It  was  at  this  place  that  the 
Methodist  Mission  was  established  in  1839.  It  is 
now  called  the  Methodist  Institute^  and  a  fine 
school  is  now  connected  with  the  institution,  num- 
bering about  two  hundred  pupils,  embracing  some 
of  the  most  promising  young  men  and  ladies  in 
the  Territory.  A  splendid  new  court  house  has 
recently  been  finished.  The  capitol,  which  was 
burned  down  in  the  winter  of  1855-6,  was  a 
splendid  building.  Its  original  cost  was  rising  of 
$25,000,  of  which  sum  Congress  donated  $20,000 
— through  the  influence  of  the  lamented  T.  R. 
Thurston,  to  whose  memory  Oregon  will  ever  owe 
a  debt  of  gratitude,  for  his  never-tiring  zeal  and 
perseverance  in  Congress  in  advancing  the  in- 
terests of  his  beloved  Territory. 

Five  miles  above  Salem,  on  the  west  side  of 
the  river,  in  Polk  county,  at  the  mouth  of  La 
Creole  creek^  is  situated  the  town  of  Cincinnati. 
It  is  a  small  village ;  good  steamboat  landing. 
A  high,  bare  butte  rises  on  the  north  side  of 
the  town,  about  two  hundred  feet  high,  and 
runs  due  west  about  fifteen  miles  ;  it  is  a  beautiful 
ridge,  covered  with  a  fine  coat  of  grass,  with  some 


18 


OREGON. 


scattering  white  oaks  of  a  scrubby  nature.  Hang- 
ing to  the  oak  branches  is  a  gray  moss,  from  six 
to  twenty  inches  long.  This  range  of  hills  divides 
the  valley  between  the  Willamette  and  the  Coast 
Range  of  mountains. 

Fourteen  miles  further  up,  we  come  to  Bloom- 
INGTON,  at  the  mouth  of  Luckiamule  river ^  a  small 
steamboat  landing  and  Post  Office,  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Willamette  river.  Immediately  op- 
posite this  place  is  the  mouth  of  the  Santiam  riv- 
er. Up  this  stream,  seven  miles,  is  a  village  of 
the  same  name,  to  which  steamboats  sometimes 
ascend,  in  high  water,  and  which  is  the  head  of 
navigation  on  this  stream. 

Proceeding  up  the  Willamette,  nine  miles  from 
Bloomington,  we  arrive  at  Albany,  a  considerable 
town,  and  smart  place  of  business,  situated  on  the 
east  side  of  the  river,  at  the  mouth  of  Callapooya 
creek.     It  is  the  county  seat  of  Linn  county. 

Twelve  miles  further  up  is  Marysville — or 
CoRVALLis — the  latter  being  the  name  given  to  the 
place  l>y  Act  of  the  Legislature  in  1843.  The 
word  "  corvallis  "  is  of  Spanish  derivation,  and 
signifies  "  Centre  of  the  Valley.''^  It  is  quite  a 
handsome  town,  and  is  located  upon  the  most  beau- 
tiful site  in  the  Territory,  being  on  a  high  prairie, 
immediately  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  Extending 
westward  from  the  town,  for  some  four  miles,  is  a 
smooth,  level  prairie,  when  you  reach  the  foot 
hills  of  the  Coast  Range,  a  succession  of  round 
buttes,  gradually  rising,  showing  a  beautiful  green 


THE   WILLAMETTE   RIVER. 


19 


coat  of  grass  until  you  roach  the  height  of  twelve 
liundred  feet,  v'hen  the  fir  timber  sets  in.  From 
this  place  can  be  seen  Mary's  Peak,  towering  far 
above  the  other  mountains.  Snow  falls  on  it  early 
in  the  fall,  and  lies  until  late  in  the  spring.  The 
distance  from  Marysville  to  the  Peak  is  about  fif- 
teen miles,  in  a  south-west  course.  This  town  is 
situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river,  and  may 
be  considered  the  head  of  steam  navigation.  It  is 
destined  soon  to  be  one  of  the  largest  cities  in 
Oregon,  as  the  National  Road  passes  through  it 
to  Umpqua,  Jacksonville,  and  Yreka,  California. 
From  this  point  a  large  amount  of  goods  and  pro- 
duce is  carried  to  the  Golden  Land — l)y  o.\  teams 
in  summer,  and  by  pack  trains  in  winter.  Imme- 
diately above  the  town  is  the  mouth  of  Mary^s 
river. 

As  we  ascend  the  Willamette,  twelve  miles  fur- 
ther, we  come  to  the  small  village  of  Burlington, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  a  short  distance  above 
the  mouth  of  a  creek  which  is  very  appropriately 
named  The  Mitddy.  Thirteen  miles  above  this 
place,  McKenzie\i  Fork  enters  the  Willamette 
from  the  east,  although  there  is  but  little  differ- 
ence in  the  size  of  the  streams.  Fifteen  miles 
above  the  mouth  of  the  McKenzie,  we  arrive  at 
the  junction  of  the  Middlr  Fork  and  Coast  Fork 
(or  Callapooya  Fork,  as  it  is  sometimes  called.) 
Near  the  Junction  is  Spencer's  Butte,  a  beautiful 
mountain,  two  thousand  feet  high,  running  up  in  a 
conical  shape,  perfectly  round  at  the  base,  and 


20 


OREGON. 


ending  in  a  pinnacle  at  the  summit.  It  was  at 
this  place  there  was  such  great  excitement  about 
the  discovery  of  gold  in  1854.  A  number  of  hands 
collected,  and  took  from  the  bowels  of  the  earth  a 
large  amount  of  what  was  supposed  to  be  gold. 
It  was  in  such  profusion  that  an  ounce  could  be 
obtained  from  a  single  panful  of  earth ;  and  a 
great ''  gold  fever  "  prevailed  throughout  the  land. 
But  imagine  the  mortification  that  ensued,  when  a 
return  was  made  from  the  mint  in  California, 
stating  that  the  substance  was  not  gold !  What 
it  is,  is  not  known,  to  this  day.  It  resembles  gold 
very  much,  but  is  a  shade  redder,  and  yields,  to 
the  hammer,  plates  equally  as  thin.  It  is  found 
in  black  lava,  or  cemented  clay ;  the  clay,  or 
cement,  has  to  be  powdered,  then  washed,  before 
the  metal  is  obtained.  A  little  city  called  Eugene 
is  situated  at  this  place  ;  it  is  the  county  scat  of 
Lane  county. 

The  points  of  the  Cascade  mountains  begin  to 
set  in,  a  short  distance  above  this  place.  The 
course  that  the  river  comes  out  of  the  mountains 
is  S.  70^  E.  It  is  about  forty-five  miles  from  Eu- 
gene City  to  the  head  of  the  main  prong  of  the 
Willamette  river ;  its  uppermost  spring  is  on  the 
side  of  the  Cascade  mountains,  whence,  with  many 
windings,  it  flows  through  the  most  rugged  moun- 
tains, seeming  to  have  cut  and  worn  its  channel, 
for  miles,  through  almost  solid  rocks.  This  river 
runs  through  the  most  valuable  portion  of  Oregon, 
and   divides  the  great  valley  tolerably  equally, 


THK   WILLAMKTTE    RIVER. 


21 


leaving  a  little  the  larger  jjortioii  on  the  cast  side, 
altliough  the  riehest  jKjrtion  is  thought  to  bo  on 
the  west  side.  All  the  tributaries  aflord  groves 
of  lir,  ash,  alder,  and  balm  timber,  whilst  the  hills, 
or  buttes,  aflord  white  oak  sufficient  for  firewood 
and  stakes  for  fences,  and  the  mountains  afford  the 
best  of  rail  timber  in  the  known  world,  of  white 
and  red  fir.  From  all  the  small  streams  that  flow 
out  of  the  mountains  the  timber  is  accessible.  I 
have  often  seen  white  fir,  eighteen  inches  in  diam- 
eter, two  hundred  feet  high,  and  have  known  fif- 
teen rail  cuts,  each  ten  feet  long,  to  bo  taken  from 
one  tree,  there  being  but  little  difference  in  the 
size  of  the  first  and  last.  The  amount  of  timber 
that  would  be  on  one  acre,  on  the  mountain  slopes, 
is  astonishing. 

On  the  east  side  of  the  river,  the  prairie  sets  in 
about  three  miles  above  Oregon  City,  and  extends 
south  to  Spencer's  Butte,  or  to  the  Coast  Fork  of 
the  Willamette,  a  distance  of  ninety-six  miles,  on 
a  straight  line,  the  distance  from  the  river  to  the 
Cascade  mountains  varying  from  twenty  to  seventy 
miles.  On  the  west  side  of  the  river  there  is  but 
little  prairie,  until  you  get  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Yamhill  river ;  the  prairie  there  sets  in,  and  soon 
becomes  very  wide,  as  the  Yamhill  comes  in  almost 
at  right  angles,  and  all  between,  for  a  long  distance, 
is  prairie.  Southward,  between  the  Willamette 
and  the  Calapooya  mountains,  a  distance  of  ninety 
miles,  the  country  is  all  prairie.  Between  the 
river  and  the  Coast  Range,  the  width  of  the  prairie 


22 


OREGON. 


varies  from  twenty  to  forty  miles,  with  a  niunbcr 
of  small  valleys  running  far  up  into  tbc  mountains, 
which  aflord  some  of  the  best  stock  farms  in  the 
Territory,  although  occasionally  depredations  are 
committed  on  stock  by  the  beasts  of  ])rey  from  the 
mountains,  such  as  the  large  wolves,  panthers, 
cougars  (or  California  lion),  and  l)Iack  bears. 
The  wild  beasts,  however,  cannot  be  said  to  bo 
"bad"  on  stock,  considering  tlieir  numbers. 


III. 


•H 


;! 


If 


I  will  now  speak  of  the  tributary  streams  of  the 
"Willamette. 

The  first  on  the  east  side  is  the  Clackamas.  It 
rises  in  tiic  Cascade  mountains  and  runs  N.  <)<S° 
W.,  and  takes  its  many  windings,  and  enters  tlie 
Willamette  two  miles  below  Oregon  City.  The 
length  of  this  stream  is  forty  miles;  it  runs  its 
whole  length  through  Clackamas  county.  The 
Emigrant  Road  is  down  this  river. 

Continuing  up  the  same  side,  we  next  find  the 
Moilallc  river ;  which,  rising  in  the  same  ]?angc, 
takes  a  general  course  of  N.  45°  W.,  and  empties 
into  the  Willamette  about  twelve  miles  above  Ore- 
gon City.  Its  length  is  about  sixty  miles.  French 
Prairie  lies  along  this  stream  on  the  south  side. 

Pudding  river  is  the  next  stream ;  it  rises  in 
a  level  prairie  country  (French  Prairie),  and  is  a 


TRIUUTAUY   HTIIKAMH    OF   WILLAMKTTE. 


23 


slow,  slufTf^isli  and  nuiddy  stream,  running  a  north- 
east direction,  and  entering  into  Alollalle  al)out 
forty  cliains  from  the  mouth  of  that  river.  It  is 
about  forty  nnles  in  length,  and  has  numerous 
tril)utaries,  among  which  are  Applcg-atc  creek, 
Silver  creek,  and  Drift  creek.  On  Pudding  river, 
fifteen  miles  up,  is  a  little  village  called  Parkeks- 
viLLK,  near  which  is  a  lake,  about  four  miles  in 
length  and  one  mile  in  breadth,  called  Lake  La- 
HISH,  which  abounds  in  the  finest  fresh  water  fish. 

The  next  stream  is  Mill  creek,  eighteen  miles 
in  length,  running  a  north-west  direction  and 
emptying  into  the  Willamette  immediately  below 
Salem.  Near  its  mouth  is  a  good  grist  mill  and 
saw  mill. 

Wc  next  reach  the  North  Fork  of  the  Sanliam 
river.  It  rises  in  the  Cascade  Range,  first  runs 
north-west  for  tliirty  miles,  then  south-west  until 
its  junction  with  the  South  Fork,  when  the  main 
river  takes  a  more  north-westerly  course  until  its 
confluence  with  t)ic  Willamette.  Tiie  whole  length 
of  this  stream  is  al)out  fifty-eight  miles.  The  vil- 
lages of  Santiam  and  Syracuse  arc  both  on  this 
stream,  six  miles  above  its  junction  with  the  Wil- 
lamette, tlie  former  on  the  north  and  the  latter  on 
the  south  side.  About  four  miles  south  of  Syra- 
cuse is  Knox's  Butte,  which  rises  out  of  the 
smooth  prairie  to  the  height  of  four  hundred  feet, 
and  can  be  plainly  seen  for  some  distance  around. 

The  Sonth  Fork  of  the  Santiam  rises  in  the  Cas- 
cade Range,  runs   twenty   miles  due  west,  then 


24 


OREGON. 


tnkes  a  north-west  direction  until  it  intersects  the 
North  Fork.  Its  principal  tributaries  are  Tlio'nas' 
Fork,  Crablree  and  Beaver  creeks. 

Calapooya  creek  rises  in  the  same  Range,  and 
runs  fifteen  miles  due  Avest,  where  it  enters  the 
prairie ;  from  this  point  to  the  Willamette  its  gen- 
eral bearing  is  about  N.  45°  W.  Its  entire  length 
is  fifty  miles.  It  passes  its  whole  length  through 
Linn  county,  and  aflbrds  some  fine  farming  country. 

The  next,  as  we  ascend,  is  The  "  Muddy,'"  a 
small  creek  which  rises  at  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tains, runs  tnrough  a  level  country,  with  a  slow, 
sluggish  current.  When  the  creek  is  high,  it 
overflows  its  banks  and  inundates  the  whole  coun- 
try. Its  length  is  thirty-eight  miles,  and  it  runs 
through  a  very  desirable  portion  of  Oregon — very 
rich  land — thickly  settled ;  as  it  was  principally 
settled  by  the  emigration  from  Illinois  in  1851, 
they  only  got  three  hundred  and  twenty  acre  claims, 
which  makes  the  settlements  more  desirable. 

Returning,  now,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Willamette, 
I  will  give  you  a  briof  view  of  the  streams  tribu- 
tary to  that  river  on  the  v/est  side,  all  of  which 
take  their  rise  in  the  Cfl?lst  Range. 

The  first  is  the  Tualatin  river.  For  the  first 
twenty  miles  it  runs  due  east,  and  forms  a  little 
lake,  called  Wapatoo  Lake  ;  then  bears  north- 
east, the  next  twelve  miles,  to  the  town  of  IIillr- 
BOROUGH,  where  the  North  and  South  Forks  unite  ; 
thence  taking  as  a  general  course  south  60°  cast, 
it  empties  into  the  Willamette  three  miles  above 


TRIBUTARY    STREAMS   OF   WILLAMETTE. 


25 


Oregon  City.  'J'he  distance  from  Hillsborough  to 
the  mouth  is  about  twenty-eight  miles — its  entire 
length,  about  sixty  miles.  The  North  Fork  is 
about  twenty-four  miles  long.  Below  the  junction 
lie  the  great  Tualatin  Plains,  one  of  the  most 
desirable  settlements  in  Oregon. 

The  Yamhill  river  empties  into  the  Willamette 
about  twenty-eight  miles  above  Oregon  City.  The 
first  ten  miles  of  its  course  is  due  east — then  its 
general  direction  is  S.  60°  E.,  twenty-eight  miles, 
to  Lafayette,  whence  it  flows  in  an  easterly 
CQurse  to  its  mouth.  The  Yamhill  is  fifty  miles 
long,  and  affords  more  good  farming  country  than 
any  other  tributary  of  the  Willamette,  beinglpkirt- 
ed  by  high,  dry,  rolling  prairie  its  entire  length. 

Near  the  source  of  this  stream  is  a  remarkable 
curiosity,  which  deserves  at  least  a  passing  notice. 
As  the  smooth  prairie  runs  out  from  the  long 
valley  toward  the  mountains,  there  al)ruptly  rises 
a  )'ound,  bare  butte,  to  an  elevation  of  three 
thousand  feet.  On  one  side,  where  1  first  endeav- 
ored to  make  the  asc^^nt,  it  was  with  the  greatest 
difficulty  that  I  could  overcome  tlie  first  two 
thousand  feet ;  it  was  then  a  perpendicular  wall 
to  the  summit,  so  that  I  was  obliged  to  return. 
But,  as  it  Avas  a  part  of  my  duty  to  explore  and 
notice  objects  of  interest,  J  determined  to  make 
tlie  ascent,  if  such  a  thing  was  possible.  I 
accordingly  took  an  as-  istant  with  me,  and  went 
to  the  north  side  of  the  butte,  where  I  found  it 
covered   with    timber;   in    many  .places   it  was 


26 


OREGON. 


rocky,  steep,  and  broken,  with  here  and  there 
precipitous  cliffs,  but  by  dint  of  perseverance  we 
finally  reached  the  summit,  and  were  well  re- 
warded for  our  labor.  On  the  top  of  the  mountain , 
or  butte,  we  found  a  level  spot  of  about  five  acres, 
and  the  remains  of  an  ancient  fortress  that  had 
once  been  entrenched  all  around,  on  the  brink  of 
the  precipice.  The  rude  and  ill-shapen  walls  gave 
evidence  that  it  had  been  the  work  of  a  savage 
and  ignorant  race.  Arrow  points,  and  other  relics 
of  the  ancient  race  who  once  used  this  place  as  a 
refuge  against  the  warlike  incursions  of  their 
neiglibors,  were  abundant.  On  the  summit  of  this 
immensely  high  peak  may  be  found  a  spring  of 
pure  fresh  water.  In  olden  time  there  was  an 
entrance  to  the  fort  on  the  summit,  throvg-h  one  of 
the  precipices,  but  when  we  visited  it,  this  was  found 
to  be  choked  up  with  stones  and  rubbish,  and  we 
were  obliged  to  climb  over.  The  oldest  Indians  in 
the  vicinity  know  nothing  of  tlic  race  who  first  fori  i- 
ficd  and  occupied  this  hill.  This  is  the  only 
place  I  have  seen  in  the  Territory,  of  tlic  kind, 
which  bore  such  evident  marks  of  the  handiwork 
of  an  ancient  race.  In  fact,  tlicre  are  fewer 
marks  that  would  interest  the  antiquarian  in 
Oregon,  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  Western 
country,  in  which  I  have  traveled. 

But  to  the  description  of  the  rivers  again. 
The  North  Yamhill  is  twenty-six  miles  long,  runs 
south-east  and  enters  the  South  Branch  three  miles 
above  Lafayette.     The  soil  on  this  stream  differs 


TRIBUTARY  STREAMS   OF  WILLAMETTE, 


27 


from  that  in  almost  every  other  portion  of  Oregon. 
There  is  but  little  level  prairie — what  there  is,  is 
composed  of  a  black  sandy  loam ;  the  greater 
part  of  this  region  consists  of  bald  hills,  or  ridges, 
the  soil  of  which  is  very  rich  and  productive. 
The  ridges  are  not  abrupt  in  their  ascent,  but  rise, 
with  gradual  slopes,  to  the  elevation  of  five 
hundred  to  eight  hundred  feet,  sometimes  level, 
sometim(;s  rolling,  on  the  summits,  and  are 
generally  destitute  of  timber,  save  an  occasional 
stunted  white  oak  with  branches  clothed  in  waving 
moss,  and  here  and  there,  at  long  intervals,  a 
deep  canon^ — (pronounced  kanyon) — with  fir  tim- 
ber. Among  these  ridges  there  are  numerous  fine, 
bold,  running  springs  ;  sometimes  on  the  top  of  a 
hill  six  hundred  feet  high,  sometimes  on  the  side 
of  the  ridge,  and  again  at  the  foot  of  the  hills, 
sparkling  springs  of  living  water  may  be  seen 
rippling  into  the  light.  This  region  is  all  taken 
up — or  claimed — and  settlements  made  upon  it. 
Tlie  settlers  generally  select  the  most  eligible 
building  sites  for  their  habitations,  and  conduct 
the  water  thither  in  ditches  dug  for  that  purpose. 
The  whole  region  is  excellent  for  grazing  ;  and 
some  fine  farms  have  been  opened — unsurpassed 
for  wheat,  oats  and  potatoes.  Gardens,  also, 
flourish  finely.  And  hero,  in  connection  with 
gardens,  permit  me  to  call  your  attention  to  two 
singular — remarkable — facts  :  First — when  all 
vegetation  is  parched  up  in  the  valleys,  in  the  dry 
season,  the  gardens  on  these  hills  are  all  green 


Id 


OREGON. 


and  in  a  flourishing  condition  ;  second — in  the 
fall,  when  Lost  kills  everything  in  tiie  valleys, 
vegetation  on  iiesc  ridges  escapes  the  frost  two 
months  later  ;  1  have  seen  cucumber  vines  bear- 
ing as  late  as  the  15th  of  December. 

The  La  Creole  is  the  next  stream  we  come  to. 
It  is  twenty-four  miles  long,  and  runs  due  east. 
Dallas,  ihc  county  seat  of  Polk  county,  is  situ- 
ated on  this  stream.  Near  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tains there  are  some  good  mills.  The  land  bor- 
dering on  this  stream  is  very  rich  prairie — soil,  a 
black  sandy  loam.  It  is  thickly  settled  with  good, 
intelligent  farmers,  who  bid  fair  to  spend  their  lat- 
ter days  in  ease  and  prosperity,  surrounded  not 
only  with  the  comforts  but  many  of  the  luxuries  of 
life,  for  there  is  no  part  of  Oregon  where  there  is 
so  much  cure  and  pains  taken  in  the  selection  and 
cultivation  of  choice  fruit. 

We  next  arrive  at  the  Liickiiwiuie,  a  very 
crooked  stream,  fed  by  numerous  small  creeks, 
draining  a  large  scope  of  productive  country.  Its 
general  course  is  south-east,  and  its  length  about 
twenty-seven  miles.  In  winter  it  is  seldom  ford- 
able. 

Next  is  Mary^s  river,  a  very  short  stream,  con- 
sidering the  amount  of  water  it  affords,  being  not 
over  thirty  miles  long.  It  rises  near  Mary's 
Butte,  runs  partly  around  the  Butte  on  the  west 
side,  then  takes  an  easterly  course  and  empties  into 
the  Willamette  at  Corvallis.  The  South  Fork  of 
this  stream  rises  in  the  Coast  Range,  runs  on  the 


THE    COAST   MOUNTAINS. 


29 


east  side  of  Mary's  Butte,   and  empties  into  the 
North  Foric,  four  miles  west  of  Marysville. 


IV. 

The  Coast  Range  of  Mountains  is  situated  be- 
tween the  valley  of  the  Willamette  and  the  sea 
coast,  and  is  from  forty  to  sixty  miles  across  at  the 
base.  I  may  say  they  extend  from  the  mouth  of 
the  Columbia  river  to  the  Bay  of  S«an  Francisco, 
which  is  about  six  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  with 
scarcely  a  break  or  gap  in  the  chain,  except  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Umpqua  river,  where  there  is  a  small 
pass  or  opening  through  the  mountains.  A  great 
deal  of  labor  and  money  has  been  expended  here 
in  the  effort  to  make  a  road,  but  as  yet  it  is  scarce- 
ly passable  for  jiack  trains.  If  there  was  a  good 
road  down  that  stream,  it  would  be  of  great  ad- 
vantage to  Southern  Oregon  and  Northern  Califor- 
nia ;  as  there  is  a  good  and  safe  harbor,  and  easy 
entrance,  the  channel  being  deep  for  thirty  miles 
up  this  river. 

This  mountain  range  is  not  a  regular,  compact 
mountain,  like  the  Cascade  mountains,  or  the  Cum- 
berland mountains,  but  appears  to  be  abed  of  moun- 
tains thrown  up  promiscuously,  without  any  lead- 
ing continuous  range — rather  a  succession  of  indi- 
vidual mountains,  running  in  every  direction,  some 
aorth,  some  south,  some  east,  some  west,  forming 
deep  canons,  jammed  in,  in  every  shape  and  form, 


30 


OREGON. 


but  always  high.  They  cannot  be  termed  "  rocky," 
like  the  White  mountains,  or  the  Nevadas, 
although  in  some  places,  an  entire  mountain  side 
can  be  found,  composed  cither  of  a  bluff  precipice, 
or  of  loose,  small  rocks.  The  soil  is  everywhere 
very  rich,  and  is  reddish  in  color — more  the  hue  of 
madder  than  anything  else  I  can  liken  it  to.  The 
rock  is  generally  conglomerate ;  there  is  sandstone 
in  some  localities,  some  of  which  indicates  that  it 
has  undergone  the  action  of  fire,  while  in  other 
places  it  is  in  solid  cliffs,  bearing  no  marks  of  vol- 
canic action.  On  a  little  stream  called  the  Wil- 
mina,  I  saw  a  solid  sandstone  cliff  that  was  from 
fifty  to  one  hundred  feet  high,  composed  of  every 
variety  of  grit,  from  the  coarsest  grindstone  to  the 
finest  whetstone. 

From  all  appearance,  the  whole  face  of  the 
country  has  once  been  thrown  up  by  volcanic 
action  ;  and  this  is  the  invariable  conclusion  arriv- 
ed at  by  all  who  visit  this  region. 

It  has  been  a  prevailing  opinion  that  there  is  no 
limestone  in  Oregon.  Such  has  been  the  suppo- 
sition of  both  settlers  and  travelers  in  the  Terri- 
tory ;  but,  while  the  writer  was  engaged  in  run- 
ning a  meridian  line  over  one  of  the  most  rugged 
portions  of  this  same  Coast  Range,  he  discovered, 
in  the  point  of  a  ridge,  a  large  cliff  of  limestone 
rock  !  The  circumstances  of  the  discovery  were 
these  :  As  I  was  ascending  the  mountain's  side, 
I  observed,  in  a  hole  where  a  large  pine  tree  had 
been  turned  out,  something  that  1  thought  rcscm- 


i 
I 

1 
I 


i 


THE   COAST  MOUNTAINS. 


31 


I  lied  lime,  lying  under  the  side  of  a  rock.  I  took 
it  up,  examined  it,  and  found  it  to  be  pure  lime. 
I  then  proceeded  to  make  a  careful  examination  of 
the  point  of  the  ridge,  and  found  it  to  be  a  solid 
bed  of  limestone  rock.  It  lies  about  three  miles 
from  the  cliff  of  sandstone  referred  to  above.  In 
order  to  make  this  discovery  available,  a  road 
will  have  to  be  made  for  the  distance  of  about  six 
miles,  as  it  is  impossible  for  horses  to  reach  that 
point  until  a  good  road  is  made.  This  having 
been  done,  however,  who  can  estimate  the  advan- 
tages that  this  discovery  will  confer  upon  the  peo- 
ple of  the  Territory  ? 

From  the  fact  of  the  existence  of  this  limestone 
and  sandstone,  in  the  condition  found,  it  is  evident 
that  this  vicinity,  at  least,  has  never  been  subject- 
ed to  volcanic  action  at  all,  or  must  have  been 
thrown  up  in  a  compact  body  and  never  heated — 
else  the  sandstone  would  have  crumbled  into  small 
pieces,  and  the  limestone  have  been  calcined  and 
long  since  washed  away. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  inaccessible  character  of 
tliis  place ;  when  I  was  there,  my  i)arty  carried 
their  provisions  on  their  shoulders — we  were  liv- 
ing on  berries,  principally ;  at  noon  I  killed  a 
grouse,  and  at  night  we  caught  some  mountain 
trout. 

Near  this  place,  as  I  have  been  informed  Ijy  the 
Indians,  on  the  very  summit  of  one  of  the  highest 
peaks  of  the  Coast  Range,  lies  a  large  lake  of 
fresh  water,  about  four  miles  in  length,  and  two 


ti\ 


32 


OREGON. 


miles  in  width,  wliich  abounds  in  fish  of  the  finest 
quality.  It  has  never  been  visited  by  the  foot  of 
a  white  man,  and  although  often  mentioned  by 
the  Indians,  has  not  been  visited  by  any  of  them  for 
many  years,  on  account  of  a  belief  that  obtains 
among  them  that  it  is  presided  over  by  an  Evil 
Spirit,  or  some  strange  and  singular  animal,  and  a 
tradition  they  have  that  no  party  has  ever  returned 
from  a  visit  to  that  fatal  lake  without  the  loss  of 
at  least  one  of  its  number.  Scarcity  of  provisions 
alone  prevented  the  writer  from  the  effort  to  ex- 
plore it,  as  he  had  no  superstitious  dread  of  the 
Evil  Genius  that  is  reported  to  preside  over  its 
unbroken  solitude.  The  Wilmina  creek  finds  its 
sources  in  that  lake,  and  runs  south  for  about 
forty  chains,  when  it  pitches  headlong  down  a  pre- 
cipice, making  a  single  leap  of  about  six  hundred 
feet.  Another  stream  also  rises  in  the  same  lake, 
and,  running  a  north-west  course,  makes  a  similar 
plunge,  before  it  reaches  the  Tillamook  Bay. 

On  all  the  low  lands,  or  near  the  streams,  the 
vine  maple  is  very  thick;  it  was  Avith  great  diffi- 
culty that  we  could  force  a  passage  through.  In 
many  places  there  are  indications  of  gold — quartz 
rock  gold  blossom. 

The  Timber  on  the  Coast  Range  excels  any  in 
the  Western  world — except  that  on  the  Cascade 
Mountains.  It  is  generally  fir,  red,  yellow  and 
white ;  there  is  also  the  southern  pine,  very  £0od 
timber ;  the  lofty  white  cedar ;  hemlock  ;  spruce ; 
and  yew  tree — all  very  desirable  timber.     Wero 


THE   COAST   MOUNTAINS. 


88 


it  not  that  Avell-authenticated  statements,  respect- 
ing the  enormous  size  to  which  this  mountain  tim- 
ber grows,  are  already  before  the  public,  I  should 
almost  hesitate  al)Out  mentioning  the  fact  that  I 
have  seen  fir  trees,  that  I  have  measured,  as  they 
laid  upon  the  ground,  and  found  to  be  three  feet 
in  diameter  and  three  hundred  and  thirty-eight 
feet  in  length.  8uch  timber  stands  very  thick 
upon  the  ground ;  and  in  the  coves  or  canons  ajv 
pears  all  to  be  of  the  same  heiglit.  I  once  meas- 
ured a  dead  fir  tree,  bark  off",  that  was  forty-three 
feet  in  circumference!  The  white  cedar  is  the 
best  for  lumber ;  being  soft,  fine-grained,  very 
straight,  clear  of  knots,  and  easy  to  work  up. 
The  white  fir  ranks  as  next  best ;  it  splits  easily 
and  makes  good  shingles,  or  lumber,  and  is  fine 
for  rails.  I  have  seen  more  beautiful  groves  of 
this  timber  than  of  any  other.  The  best  sized  tree 
for  making  rails  is  eighteen  inches  in  diameter. 
I  have  seen  this  sized  trees,  two  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  high,  and  trees  ten  inches  in  diameter  two 
hundred  feet  high — standing  very  thick  on  the 
ground.  The  red  and  yellow  fir  are  not  so  good 
for  lumber,  being  coarser  grained ;  but  there  arc 
large  quajitities  of  these  trees  sawed  into  lumber, 
notwithstanding.  They  make  very  good  rails,  but 
are  rather  difficult  to  split.  The  yew  tree  is  very 
firm,  close-grained  wood,  works  easy  when  green, 
but  is  very  hard  when  seasoned.  Alder  grows  at 
the  head  of  all  the  springs.  In  our  surveying  ex- 
peditious, whenever  we  became  thirsty,  or  wero 


34 


OREGON. 


looking  out  for  a  cam})ing  ground,  whether  in 
prairie  or  timber,  the  lirst  wlio  csi)icd  an  alder 
would  cry  out,  "llero  is  water;"  ask  him  where, 
and  he  would  point  to  the  alder,  "  Don't  you  sec 
them  alders — there's  always  water  where  you  see 
them,  you  know."  Tiiis  timber  is  good  for  rails; 
it  grows  on  all  water  courses,  and  is  sometimes 
found  three  feet  in  diameter.  The  Balm  of  Gilead 
grows  here  in  abundance.  It  is  good  rail  timber. 
Ash  grows  on  the  banks  of  most  of  the  streams. 
Maple  of  large  size  grows  ou  the  low  lands,  and 
on  the  north  sides  of  the  mountains.  The  commoc 
laurel  here  grows  to  be  a  large  tree.  The  com 
mon  black  oak  grows  on  the  Umpqua,  and  in  all 
jiarts  of  Southern  Oregon,  but  there  is  none  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  Territory.  Tiierc  is  a  kind 
of  vine  maple  that  is  very  troublesome,  on  all  the 
river  bottom  lands,  on  creeks,  and  in  canons ;  it 
scarcely  ever  grows  more  than  ten  inches  in  diam- 
eter, generally  runs  like  a  vine,  sometimes  shoulder 
high,  at  other  times  knee  high ;  reaches  a  long 
way,  then  bends  over,  takes  root  and  a  new  start. 
It  mats  very  thick,  and  sometimes  it  is  almost  im- 
possible to  get  through  the  dense  thickets  thus 
formed,  except  by  cutting  your  way.  In  the  fast- 
nesses of  these  almost  impenetrable  thickets,  the 
wild  beasts,  which  are  numerous  in  the  Coast 
Range  find  safe  retreats.  The  common  under- 
growth of  these  mountains  is  hazel,  dogwood, 
white  beech,  service  berry,  briars  and  fern.  The 
last  grows  wherever  there  is  not  a  very  heavy 


/ 


■y 


Tllfc:   UKHHIKa   OF   OllKGON. 


OtJ 


growth  of  timber,  often  reaching  tiic  height  of  six 
and  eight  feet,  and  through  which,  in  some  phices, 
you  cannot  see  a  deer  the  length  of  your  gun. 


> 


I 


V. 


I  CAN  say,  without  hesitation,  that  of  all  places 
for  Berries,  this  l)cats  the  world.  On  the  bottom 
lands  the  service  berry  and  salmon  berry  arc  the 
most  common — the  former  ripens  in  July,  the 
latter  in  June  ;  the  salmon  berry  is  of  two  kinds, 
one  red  when  ripe,  the  other  yellow.  It  grows 
on  a  brier  as  thick  as  a  man's  arm,  eight  or  ten 
feet  high — and  the  berry,  which  somewhat  resem- 
bles the  blackberry  otherwise,  is  as  large  as  a  hen's 
egg.  As  you  ascend  the  hill,  you  will  next  find 
the  thimble  berry;  it  grows  on  a  tender  bush, 
three  feet  high,  resembles  the  raspberry  and  ripens 
in  July.  Next  comes  tlie  raspberry,  wliicli  grows 
in  great  profusion  and  ripens  in  September.  The 
deto  berry,  or  ground  blackberry,  is  of  the  size  of 
a  blackberry,  and  grows  on  a  small  vine  that  runs 
over  brush  and  logs  ;  ripens  in  September.  Next 
comes  the  salal  berry,  which  resembles  the  common 
huckleberry,  grows  on  a  bush  eighteen  inches 
high,  with  leaves  of  a  rich,  glossy,  olive  ever- 
green, and  ripens  from  1st  August  to  1st  Septem- 
ber. The  mountain  grape  grows  on  a  bush  from 
one  to  four  feet  high,  not  on  a  vine,  as  other 


86 


OIIEGON. 


grapes  do  ;  leaves  evergreen,  glossy  in  a[)|)ear- 
ancc,  two  inches  long  by  one  inch  wide,  saw- 
cdgcd  ;  the  grapes  resemble  the  common  summer 
grape  of  the  eastern  States  ;  ripen  from  the  Ist 
of  August  to  the  1st  November  ;  rather  tart,  but 
make  an  excellent  dessert  when  stewed  with 
sugar — at  least,  for  those  who  arc  camping  out  in 
the  mountains.  The  red  huckleberry  is  the  size 
of  a  small  cherry,  of  a  clear  red  color  ;  the  taste 
is  tartisii,  but  delicious  ;  it  grows  on  a  bush  from 
three  to  six  feet  high,  with  slender  stalk  and 
heavy  top,  and  the  bushes  are  sometimes  loaded 
■with  fruit  to  such  an  extent  that  the  top  lies  on 
the  ground :  when  the  berry  is  ripe,  in  order  to 
gather  the  fruit  you  have  only  to  place  a  pan 
under  the  bush  and  give  the  latter  a  shake.  The 
large  gooseberry  grows  on  very  high  mountains, 
and  to  an  enormous  size,  being  as  large  as  a  hen's 
egg,  and,  though  a  rough,  is  a  delicious  berry. 
The  wild  currant  grows  on  bushes  ten  feet  higli ; 
it  is  of  a  n^alk-.vhite  color,  the  size  of  a  small 
cherry,  and  of  a  sweetish  taste.  On  the  hills,  we 
find  numerous  other  berries,  which  it  would  take 
up  too  much  time  to  describe.  In  tlic  valleys,  we 
find  the  service  berry,  raspberry  and  blackberry ; 
together  with  a  bountiful  profusion  of  the  most 
delicious  straioberries.  This  fine  fruit  may  be 
gathered  at  all  times,  from  the  first  of  May  to  the 
first  of  Deccml)cr ;  they  grow  very  large,  and 
abound  in  all  parts  of  the  Valley.  On  the  sea 
coast  the  strawberry  is  mostly  oi  a  snowy  Avhite- 


T 

J 


THE  WILLAMETTR   VALLKY. 


37 


ncss,  ripens  in  July,  is  very  large,  and  tlic  leaf 
of  the  vine  differs  from  the  ordinary  variety, 
being  larger,  and  of  a  glossy  green. 


VI. 

As  I  said  before,  the  Willamette  Valley  is 
about  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  in  length,  and 
from  forty  to  eighty  miles  wide.  The  AVilamette 
river  and  all  its  tril)utaries  being  of  pure  clear 
water,  adds  much  to  tiic  comfort  and  convenience 
of  the  many  settlers. 

The  Willamette  river  is  navigable  for  small 
steamboats  as  far  as  Corvallis,  a  distance  of  about 
one  hundred  miles.  Some  few  boats,  however, 
have  ascended  as  high  as  Eugene  City  (Spencer's 
Butte),  which  is  forty  miles  above  Corvallis.  This 
stream  divides  the  great  Willamette  A^alley. 

The  Valley  lies  in  latitude  44°  to  4G°  north, 
and,  strange  as  it  may  appear,  there  is  scarcely 
any  weather  that  can  l)c  called  "  winter."  But 
little  snow  falls,  and  what  does  fall  soon  melts  off; 
the  ground  seldom  freezes  at  night  so  hard  but 
wliat  it  thaws  out  by  noon ;  but  little  ice  ever 
makes  its  appearance  on  the  rivers.  I  have  spent 
winters  at  Milledgeville,  Georgia,  in  latitude  8.3°, 
and  I  am  of  th.e  opinion  that  it  is  not  colder  here 
than  there. 

The  face  of  the  country,  both  hill  and  valley,  is 


38 


OREGON. 


covered  all  Avintcr  with  beautiful  green  grass. 
Nothing  can  be  more  pleasant,  or  excite  one's 
perceptions  of  the  beautiful  in  nature  to  a  greater 
degree,  than  to  sit  and  look  over  the  long  reaches 
of  green  prairie,  skirted  on  every  hand  with  lofty 
mountains  rising  like  a  blue  mist  along  the 
horizon,  with  here  and  there  a  snow-clad  peak 
lifting  its  crest  above  its  neighbors  as  if  conscious 
of  its  superiority. 

The  loftiest  of  the  snowy  peaks  is  Mount  Hood. 
It  ^7S^s  ascended  by  Mr.  Belden,  in  October,  1.854, 
and  found  to  be  nineteen  thousand  four  hundred 
feet  high.  They  ascended  as  high  as  they  could 
travel,  first  with  snow  shoes,  then  with  ice  hooks 
and  spikes.  When  they  reached  a  point  some 
18,000  feet  high,  respiration  became  very  difficult, 
owing  to  the  rarity  of  the  atmosphere.  At 
length  the  blood  b.gan  to  ooze  through  the  pores 
of  the  skin  like  drops  of  sweat — their  eyes  began 
to  bleed — then  the  blood  gushed  from  their  ears. 
Then  they  couimeuced  their  downward  march. 
At  the  point  where  they  commenced  the  ascent, 
they  had  left  their  pack  mule,  and  two  men  to 
guard  them.  The  men  went  out  hunting,  and 
when  they  returned  found  that  the  cougars  had 
killed  two  of  their  mules. 

About  forty  miles  north  of  Mount  Hood>  is 
Mount  Adams,  about  twenty-fi\c  miles  north-west 
of  this  peak  loom?  up  Mount  St.  Helens,  and  north 
of  St.  Helens,  forty  miles,  stands  Mount  Ranier 
South  of  Mount  Hood,  about  fifty  juiles,  is  Mount, 


THE   WILLAMETTE   VALLEY. 


39 


Jefferson,  sixty  miles  further  is  a  group  of  snowy 
peaks  called  the  Three  Sisters.  All  the  above 
named  peaks  are  covered  with  snow,  winter  and 
summer,  and  can  be  plainly  seen  from  all  parts  of 
the  Valley ;  and  when  the  rays  of  tho  evening 
sun  linger  with  dazzling  brilliancy  upon  their 
towering  summits,  never  did  any  objects  make  a 
grander  display  of  the  sublimity  of  the  Almighty 
Power,  as  exhibited  by  the  works  of  Nature's 
handicraft,  then  do  these  majestic  mountains — 
these  snow-clad  guardians  of  the  Valley.  Often, 
when  alone,  have  I  sat  as  the  evening  shadows 
closed  around  me,  and  gazed  upon  these  grand  old 
mountains  whose  white  crowns  receive  the  last 
farewell  radiance  of  the  departing  sunlight — sat, 
and  gazed,  until,  upon  the  wings  of  imagination, 
I  had  scaled  the  mountain  range  whe^e  these 
everlasting  sentinels  stand  guard,  and  sped  away 
across  the  wide  reaches  of  plain  and  desert,  until 
I  held  communion  with  friends  and  kindred, 
hundreds  and  hund  ods  of  miles  a^\ay.  At  such 
times,  how  calm,  how  serene,  how  balmy  has 
appeared  the  evening  air  ;  truly 

"  The  night  would  be  filled  with  raiisio, 

And  the  cares  that  infest  the  day 
Would  fold  up  their  tents,  like  tho  Arabs, 
^  And  as  silently  steal  away." 

But — to  the  Valley  again  !  13ut  little  rain  falls 
here  from  the  1st  of  May  to  tho  1st  of  November ; 
during  the  interval,  the  grass  all  dries  np — or 
"  cures,"  like  hay — and  the  cattle  eat  it  greedily, 


40 


OREGON. 


for,  as  there  is  neither  rain  nor  dew,  it  keeps  its 
strength  ;  vegetation  all  dries  up,  and,  when  a  fire 
breaks  out,  it  occasions  great  damage,  as  the 
settlers  depend  upon  the  grass  for  their  stock 
during  the  winter.  About  the  first  of  October 
there  come  some  light  showers  of  rain,alternaliniE; 
with  sunshine — weather  warm  and  pleasant,  ,iu>. 
resembling  the  usual  April  weather  in  the  Siate.^. 
In  a  few  days,  that  old  dry  grass  resumes  its  life 
and  verdure — don't  wait  for  a  new  growth,  but 
turns  green ;  I  have  seen  old  dry  weeds  turu 
green  and  bloom  again,  under  the  revivifying  in- 
fluence of  these  autumnal  rains.  From  October 
until  the  next  July  everything  remains  as  green 
as  a  meadow  in  May.  This  grass  resembles  the 
red  top  or  herd  g^rass,  and  is  more  nutritious  than 
the  prairie  grass  of  Illinois  and  Missouri. 

Oregon  is  a  great  grazing  country.  Cattle  and 
horses  are  allowed  to  run  at  large — no  care  is 
taken  of  them,  except  to  brand  them  while  young ; 
the  grass  being  ample  for  their  sustenance,  and 
salt  springs,  or  pools,  to  which  they  nave  free  ac- 
cess, quite  7mnierous.  The  stock  grow  fast,  aV 
winter,  as  they  keep  very  fat;  a  common  t,.,^ 
year  old  cov7  will  weigh  six  hundred  pounds. 

So  it  is — while  the  citizens  of  the  States  arc  la- 
boring all  summer  to  prepare  for  the  coming  win- 
ter, the  Oregonians  are  taking  their  ease  in  the 
shade  ;  while  the  farmers  of  the  States  arc  frcc:^ 
ing  their  fingers,  in  "  packing  out"  feed  for  tlioir 
"lean  kine,"  the  Oregonians  are  sniifrly  seated  by 


I 


THE   WILLAMETTE    VALLEY. 


41 


a  pleasant  fire,  finding  companionship  in  a  news- 
paper, or  dandling  their  little  ones  on  their  knees, 
while  their  stoo.k  are  fattening  on  the  grass  that 
nature  has  provided  for  them. 

Sheep  do  well  in  Oregon.  There  are  but  few 
fine-blooded  sheep  in  the  Territory — owing  to  the 
great  difficulty  of  getting  them  there.  A  drove  of 
shecii  is  purcha^od  in  the  States,  and  started 
across  the  Plains- — invariably,  we  find  that  the 
finest  blooded  sheep  are  the  least  able  to  stand 
the  trip,  that  they  "  give  out,"  and  are  left  to  feed 
the  wolves,  while  the  coarser  qualities,  only,  reach 
their  destination. 

Horses  keep  fat  on  the  grass,  winter  and  sum- 
mer. Those  who  have  pastures  enclosed,  work  or 
ride  their  horses  all  day,  and  then  "  turn  them  out 
to  grass"  without  fear  of  having  them  "  lose  flesh." 

The  men  of  Oregon  are  generally  good  riders ; 
and  it  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  tbe  reader  to 
look  at  a  picture  of  an  "  Oregon  horseman,"  as 
he  usually  appears.  He  has  a  wooden  saddle,  of 
the  Spanish  kind,  with  enormous  wooden  stirrups 
— a  Spanish-bit  bridle — a  large  Spanish  spur  v,'ith 
jtrods  an  inch  and  a  half  long — leather  leggings — 
and  often  leather  or  buckskin  pants  He  seldom 
rides  without  his  ':ianket ;  in  warm  weather  it 
serves  him  for  a  cushion  ;  when  it  rains,  or  is  cold, 
he  thrusts  his  head  through  a  hole  cut  in  the  cen- 
ter, and  is  at  once  enveloped  in  a  seamless  cloak. 
Around  his  horse's  neck  he  has  a  rawhide  rope, 
forty  feet  long,  rolled  up  and  hung  upon  the  horn 


42 


OREGON. 


*M 


of  his  saddle.  He  generally  rides  very  hard — 
"  goes  in  a  hurry." 

These  horses  are  generally  of  the  Spanish  or 
Indian  stock,  and  are   "  broke"   to  the   saddle  in 

is  way :     They  arc  all  driven  into  the  enclosure 

-r  corrallf  as  the  Mexicans  say);  the  one  to  bo 
"  broke"  is  selected — the  lasso  (which  the  Orc- 
gonians  all  throw  with  great  dexterity)  is  thrown 
over  his  head  and  fastens  around  his  neck  •  he 
is  then  choked  down  and  blindfolded,  and  sulieied 
to  get  up,  when  a  saddle  is  put  on  and  girted  on 
very  tight ;  the  youthful  rider  (always  anxious  for 
the  sport)  is  then  soon  in  the  saddle,  when  a 
broad  leathern  strap  is  drawn  over  his  thighs,  and 
he  is  strapped  down  tight  to  the  saddle — and  he 
is  ready  for  the  ride.  The  blindfold  is  now  taken 
from  the  horse's  eyes,  and  he  immediately  com- 
mences rearing  and  plunging  in  a  most  desperate 
manner,  leaping  into  the  air,  plunging  on  the 
ground  stiflf-kneed,  while  the  youthful  rider,  who 
is  well  pleased  with  his  horse's  noble  performan- 
ces, is  all  the  time  whipping  him  with  the  end  of 
the  lasso.  The  horse  plunges  about  in  this  man- 
ner awhile,  and  then  starts  off  at  full  speed — tlie 
rider  continuing  to  ply  his  whip  and  keeping  up 
"full  speed"  until  the  horse  is  run  down,  when  ho 
quietly  returns,  and  from  that  time,  is  no  longer 
so  hard  to  ride. 

The  young  men  of  Oregon  are  tlie  most  unflinch- 
ing, undaunted  young  men  in  America.  They 
smile  at  toil  and  danger — arc  ever  ready  for  a 


THE  WILLAMETTE  VALLEY. 


43 


jaunt  of  some  kind — and  the  more  hazardous  and 
dangerous  the  adventure,  the  more  eagerly  they 
embark  in  it.  In  hard  riding,  difficult  mountain 
trips,  camp  life,  exposure  to  hunger  and  weather, 
hunting,  and  the  like,  they  excel  even  the  wild 
Indians.  In  an  Indian  war  one  of  these  men  would 
be  worth  eight  regular  soldiers. 


■ 


The  soil  of  the  Willamette  Valley  is  generally 
rich.  The  greater  part  of  that  portion  lying  on 
the  cast  side  of  that  river,  is  of  a  greyish  color — 
gets  very  muddy  in  winter,  and  bakes  a  little  too 
hard  in  summer.  On  the  west  side  of  the  Willa- 
mette, the  soil  is  generally  of  a  black  sandy  loam ; 
on  the  buttes,  or  more  rolling  land,  we  find  spots 
of  a  greyish  color,  and  occasionally  red  clay  loam. 
The  appearance  of  the  soil  differs  very  much  in 
different  localities — and  sometimes  even  in  J,  forty- 
acre  field  you  may  ha^■o  five  or  six  different  kinds  of 
soil.  Growing  everywhere  on  tlic  grey  soil,  you 
can  find  a  wild  rose  brier,  three  feet  higli,  which 
bears  a  handsome  flower,  l)ut  Avhich  is  a  great 
annoyance  to  the  traveler  riding  over  the  prairie. 

The  land  is  very  productive — and  Oregon  is  the 
best  wheat  country  in  the  United  States  ;  oats  do 
well ;  barley,  peas,  beans,  pumpkins,  squashes, 
melons,  all  grow  and  flourish  well.  IMaize — the 
common  field  corn — does  not  grow  so  well  here  as 
in  the  States,  though  I  have  seen  some  very  good 
corn  here ;  but  the  proximity  of  the  snowy  moun- 
tains and  the  strong  sea  breezes  make  the  nights 
too  cool  for  corn. 


44 


OREGON. 


Garden  vegetables  of  all  kinds  do  well.  Wo 
have  the  largest  of  cabbage ;  beets  I  have  meas- 
ured that  were  twenty-six  inches  in  circumference, 
weighing  sixteen  pounds  ;  turnips  grow  very  large, 
and  may  be  raised  at  any  time,  winter  or  summer ; 
potatoes  grow  well — often  remaining  in  the  ground, 
without  being  dug,  all  winter,  without  freezing.  I 
have  seen  cabbage  stalks  running  up  to  seed  and 
blooming  all  winter  long — garden  pinks  in  bloom, 
the  middle  of  December.  Onions,  radishes,  pars- 
nips, all  grow  very  luxuriantly. 

The  Oregonians  can  certainly  live  bountifully,  if 
they  choose.  Their  gardens  supply  them  with  a 
profusion  of  the  choicest  vegetables,  and  their 
cows  yield  them  the  richest  of  milk,  from  which 
they  produce  the  finest  flavored  butter  I  ever 
tasted. 


^^vP 


VII, 


We  now  come  to  the  description  of  the  Ujipqua 
River  and  Valley. 

It  will  be  recollected  that  the  Willamette  river 
runs  north  to  the  Columbia.  The  Umpqua  runs 
west  to  the  Pacific  ocean.  Both  these  rivers  head 
near  the  same  place,  in  the  Cascade  Mountains. 
The  valleys  of  the  two  streams  are  divided  by  a 
range  of  mountains  called  the  Callapooya  Moun 
tains.  This  is  not  a  rugged  range,  but  consists, 
generally,  of  regular  slopes,  heavily  timbered  and 


UMPQUA   RIVER   AND   VALLEY. 


45 


of  rich  soil,  with  occasionally  a  bluff  precipice/ 
On  the  mountains  can  be  obtained  the  finest  qual- 
ity of  cedar,  in  great  abundance ;  excellent  fir 
timber ;  and  chinquepin,  large  enough  for  rails. 
The  undergrowth  is  principally  hazel  and  fern. 
Game  abounds  on  the  mountains,  such  as  elk, 
black-tailed  deer,  (a  size  larger  than  the  common 
deer),  black  and  red  bears,  and  a  few  "grizzlys." 
The  large  black  wolves  are  very  numerous,  and 
there  are  a  few  cougars  and  panthers. 

The  main  road,  leading  from  the  Willamette  to 
California,  passes  over  the  Callapooya  Mountains. 
it  passes  up  the  Willamette  valley  to  its  head,  then 
crosses  the  mountains  and  strikes  the  waters  of 
E/k  creek,  a  tributary  of  the  Umpqua. 

The  Umpqua  river  rises  in  the  Cascade  Moun- 
tains ;  its  general  course  is  north  45°  west  the  first 
seventy-five  miles,  whence  it  bears  nearly  due  west 
to  the  Pacific.  The  mouth  of  this  river  affords  a 
good  entrance  for  the  largest  sized  ships ;  and,  by 
ascending  some  fifteen  miles  to  the  mouths  of 
Smit/i's  river  and  ScholJiehT s  river — the  former  on 
the  north  side,  tlie  latter  on  the  south  side — there 
is  a  good  and  secure  harbor,  sheltered  by  high, 
rugged,  iron-bound  shores.  At  the  mouth  of  Ump- 
qua river  is  a  town  bearing  the  same  name.  At 
the  mouth  of  Smith's  river  is  the  town  of  Gardiner, 
and  just  opposite,  at  the  mouth  of  Scholfield's,  is 
the  town  of  Providence.  Ten  miles  higher  up 
the  river  you  arrive  at  Middlijton.  All  these 
towns  are  places  of  minor  importance,   as  the 


46 


OREGON. 


country  in  their  vicinity  is  very  mountainous  and 
unfit  for  cultivation. 

In  prospecting  for  gold,  some  has  been  discov- 
ered ;  but  owing  to  the  hostility  and  treachery  of 
the  Indians,  prospecting  has  not  been  carried  to 
any  great  extent. 

At  ScoTTSBUUG  you  are  at  the  head  of  naviga- 
tion ;  and  it  is  a  place  of  considerable  importance. 
Tliere  is  a  wagon  road  leading  from  this  point  to 
the  valley  of  the  Umpqua.  At  Scottsburg,  there 
is  quite  a  fall  in  the  river — though  not  so  great  as 
that  in  the  Willamette.  There  is  a  perpendicular 
fall  of  sixteen  feet.  Tide  water  rises  eight  feet 
at  the  Falls.  The  iish  from  the  ocean  ascend  to 
this  point,  such  as  large  salmon,  and  "  salmon 
trout,"  as  the  settlers  call  them ;  but  the  best 
judges  call  these  latter  fish  mackerel  of  the  finest 
quality.  The  writer  has  eaten  them,  after  they 
had  been  salted  for  six  months,  and,  certainly,  if 
task  be  any  criterion  upon  whicli  to  found  an 
oi)inion,  tliey  are  the  very  best  of  mackerel.  The 
Indians  catch  them  in  abundance  ;  and,  I  think,  in 
a  few  years  they  will  afford  the  finest  fisheries  that 
can  lie  establislicd  on  tlie  Oregon. coast. 

Ascending  tlie  river,  twelve  miles  further  you 
arrive  at  Elkton,  at  tlie  moutli  of  Elk  river ;  it 
is  the  county  seat  of  Umpqua  county.  Tliere  is 
but  very  little  tillable  land  to  be  found  on  Ump- 
qua river  below  this  point,  as  it  is  a  mountainous 
country,  very  rugged  and  rocky.  From  the  mouth 
of  Elk,  the  valley  begins  to   widen  out,  on  the 


DMPQUA   RIVER   AND    VALLEY. 


47 


river,  and  the  soil  is  very  productive.  The  river 
being  very  croolced,  the  tillable  lands  are  princi- 
pally in  the  bends.  The  wagon  road  crosses  the 
river  three  miles  above  Elkton  at  Drew's  Ferry 
— crosses  again  a  mile  and  a  half  above,  at  Dim- 
mock  &  Cooper's  Ferry,  while  the  distance  around 
is  not  less  than  twelve  miles.  Four  miles  above 
the  last  mentioned  ferry,  is  Kellogg's  Mill, 
which  is  situated  on  the  rapids  in  the  river,  as 
there  is  a  great  fall  at  that  place.  There  is  a  fine 
bank  of  stone  coal  near  the  mill,  and  gold,  in  small 
quantities,  has  been  found  there,  in  low  water,  on 
the  rock  in  the  bed  of  the  river. 

Ten  miles  from  Kellogg's,  as  you  ascend,  you 
will  pass  through  a  deep  canon  and  ent6r  a  beau- 
tiful valley  called  the  Green  Valley.  Here,  also, 
you  reach  the  forks  of  the  Umpqua  river,  called 
the  North  and  South  Umpqua.  The  valleys  now 
spread  out  wide  and  beautiful,  but  diflfer  from  the 
Willamette  Valley  in  the  greater  number  of  bare 
buttes,  round  knobs,  and  conical  peaks  that  rise 
from  the  level  bosoms  of  the  valleys.  Occasion- 
ally these  hills  rise  to  the  height  of  eight  hundred 
feet,  covered  from  base  to  pinnacle  with  a  luxu- 
riant growth  of  grass ;  others  again,  are  covered 
with  grass  and  scattering  black  oaks — this  being 
the  most  northern  point  at  which  the  black  oak  is 
found  in  Oregon,  or  on  the  Pacific  coast. 

About  six  miles  above  the  forks  is  Winchester, 
the  county  seat  of  Douglas  county.  It  is  situ- 
ated on  the  North  Fork  of  Umpqua  river,  in  the 


48 


OREGON. 


heart  of  a  fertile  and  flourishing  country — the  best 
grazing  country  in  Oregon,  and  well  adapted  for 
all  kinds  of  farming  purposes,  as  no  part  of  the 
United  States  surpasses  it  for  wheat,  oats,  rye  and 
potatoes.  All  kinds  of  garden  vegetables,  water- 
melons, musk-melons,  pumpkins  and  squashes  grow 
well,  and  have  a  flavor  relished,  at  least,  by  your 
humble  servant,  when  returning  from  a  surveying 
tramp,  where  he  had  been  living  a  camp  life  for  a 
long  time. 

It  is  in  this  county,  that  Hon.  Joseph  Lane — 
present  Delegate  in  Congress — makes  his  home. 
He  lives  in  comparative  ease  and  splendor  for  that 
distant  land.  He  has  two  hundred  and  fifty  cows, 
from  which  there  is  a  yearly  increase  of  two  hun- 
dred head — and  all  these  provide  for  themselvr.  , 
winter  and  summer,  no  care,  except  to  brand  the 
calves,  being  required  on  the  part  of  the  proprie- 
tor. When  you  are  told  that  a  two  year  old  cow 
will  sell  for  forty  dollars,,  you  will  readily  admit 
that  he  ought  to  live  at  his  ease. 

A  stream,  called  the  Callapooya,  rises  in 
the  Cascade  Mountains,  and  runs  west,  and  inter- 
sects the  Umpqua  river  four  miles  below  Winches- 
ter. It  is  about  thirty  miles  long,  and  affords  fine 
tillable  soil,  which  is  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation, 
there  being  some  as  fine  farms  there  as  the  Terri- 
tory contains. 

From  this  place  to  the  head  of  Umpqua,  numer- 
ous small  streams  set  in,  affording  clear  water  that 
ripples  over  beds  of  pearly  gravel. 


UMPQUA  RIVER  AND   VALLEY. 


49 


For  a  distance  of  twcnty-fivc  miles  south  and 
east  of  Winchester,  tlie  country  is  thickly  settled. 
Further  up  the  streams  the  valleys  arc  smaller, 
but  good  farms  arc  located  on  all  of  them. 
Nearly  all  the  settlements  south  of  Winchester 
were  destroyed  by  the  hostile  Indians  in  the 
winter  of  1856 — the  fine  /rame  houses  and  barns 
were  laid  in  ashes,  and  what  few  settlers  escaped 
the  scalping  knife,  were  loft  destitute  of  home  or 
shelter,  turned  out  upon  the  world  without  refuge 
or  clothing. 

About  ninety  miles  south  of  Winchester,  on  the 
road  leading  to  California,  is  the  Great  Canon 
spoken  of.  It  is  a  narrow  pass  between  two  large 
mountains.  The  road  passes  up  this  creek  a 
distance  of  twelve  miles  ;  there  has  been  a  vast 
amount  of  money  expended  in  making  this  road, 
and  it  is  now  barely  passable  for  teams  ;  the  attempt 
to  make  the  trip  from  California  to  Oregon  with 
wagons  was  never  undertaken  until  1854 — the 
travel,  and  all  the  produce  taken  from  Oregon  to 
California,  overland,  previously,  had  been  by 
means  of  pack  animals. 

This  canon  has  been  the  scene  of  numoious 
murders.  The  sides  of  the  mountains  arc  heavily 
timbered,  and  the  undergrowth  is  thick  chaparal, 
while  the  adjacent  country  is  inhabited  by  the 
most  hostile  Indians  on  the  Pacific  coast.  These 
the    Indians    spoken    of   that    have    been 


are 


treacherous  and  hostile  at  all  times   since  they 
were  first  discovered  by  white  men.    They  have 


60 


OREGON. 


been  a  greater  terror,  and  have  committed  more 
murders  upon  the  whites,  than  all  other  tribes 
on  the  coast  combined.  They  never  fail  to  kill 
the  travelers  through  this  canon,  if  they  observe 
them,  unless  there  is  a  sufficiently  large  party  of 
whites  to  protect  themselves  ;  in  that  case,  they 
arc  remarkably  friendly,  knowing  that  the  white 
man  never  attacks — only  defends  after  ho  is 
attacked,  giving  the  Indian  entirely  the  advantage. 


VIII. 


We  now  continue  on  the  road  to  California, 
and,  crossing  a  small  mountain,  arrive  in  Rogue 
River  Valley. 

Rogue  river  rises  in  the  Cascade  Mountains, 
and  runs  almost  due  west  to  the  Pacific,  in  the 
north  latitude  42°  30'.  Its  length  is  about  one 
hundred  and  sixty  miles.  There  is  no  entrance 
for  ships  at  the  mouth  ;  it  has  no  harbor  ;  and  it 
is  not  navigable  for  steamboats,  as  it  passes 
through  a  very  mountainous  country.  There  are 
some  good  farming  locations  near  the  mouth,  and 
some  scattering  farms  for  some  distance  up  the 
river.  About  thirty  miles  from  the  mouth,  a 
stream  called  Toohose  river  empties  into  Rogue 
river  ;  but  little  is  known  of  this  river,  however, 
as  it  heads  in  the  Siskiou  Mountains.  Con- 
siderable  gold  has  bean  discovered  on  this  stream , 


ROGUE  RIVER  VALLEY. 


61 


and  valuable  gold  diggings  have  been  worked,  to 
some  extent,  from  this  place  to  the  mouth  of 
Rogue  river.  But,  owing  to  the  number  of  hostile 
Indians  prowling  continually  about  tliis  region,  it 
has  never  been  satisfactorily  "  prospected,"  from 
the  fact  that  very  faw  persons  were  willing  to  risk 
their  scalps,  even  in  the  search  for  gold.  When- 
ever a  rich  spot  did  or  does  happen  to  be  "  struck," 
a  crowd  rushes  to  that  point  whose  numbers  act 
as  a  shield  for  their  defence  by  itimidating  the 
blood-thirsty  savages;  but,  in  prospecting,  the 
parties  are  necessarily  small,  and  arc,  consequently, 
much  exposed  to  danger. 

As  you  ascend  Rogue  river,  seventy  miles  from 
the  mouth.  Grave  creek  empties  in  on  the  north 
side  ;  this  stream  affords  some  good  gold  diggings. 
A  short  distance  below  this  stream  are  the  "  Big 
Meadows,"  the  retreat,  spoken  of,  of  the  Indians. 
Eight  miles  above  Grave  creek  is  Galloivs  creek ; 
ten  miles  above  this,  Jump-off-Joe  creek;  on  both  of 
whicli  streams  there  is  some  good  land  for  farming 
purposes,  Avhile  on  both  gold  has  been  discovered 
near  their  mouths.  Six  miles  above  Jum{>ofl-Joe, 
a  creek  runs  in,  on  the  south  side  of  Rogue  river, 
called  Applcg-ate ;  it  is  thirty  miles  in  length,  has 
some  good  farming  country  near  the  mouth,  and 
rich  gold  mines  have  been  successfully  worked  on 
the  head  waters,  at  the  base  of  the  Siskiou  moun- 
tains. Four  miles  above  the  mouth  of  Applegate 
creek,  the  Oregon  and  California  road  crosses 
Rogue  river,  at  which  place  a  good  ferry  is  kept. 


52 


OREGON. 


The  valley  now  spreads  out  and  affords  a  large 
scope  of  fine  farming  country.  It  was  settled  by 
industrious  and  intelligent  farmers,  and  was  in  a 
high  state  of  cultivation  as  the  proximity  of  the 
mines  gave  a  ready  market  for  every  article  cf 
surplus  produce,  at  high  prices.  But  the  Indian 
war  of  1856  laid  all  this  fine  country  waste,  and 
its  once  wealthy  inhabitants  are  now  in  poverty, 
or  their  bones  bleaching  on  the  hills  ! 

Jacksonville,  the  county  seat  of  Jackson  county, 
is  situated  in  this  valley,  on  the  south  side  of  a 
rich  and  fertile  section,  and  in  the  heart  of  a  rich 
mining  district.  It  is  the  most  flourishing  village 
in  Southern  Oregon.  It  is  about  one  hundred  and 
thirty  miles  from  the  Pacific  coast,  and  is  supplied 
with  goods  and  groceries  from  Port  Orford  and 
Crescent  City — the  latter  being  a  ship  landing 
within  the  boundary  of  California.  The  goods 
are  transported  over  very  rough  mountain  trails  on 
pack  mules.  The  road  from  Oregon  to  California 
passes  east  of  Jacksonville,  but  a  branch  passing 
through  the  town  has  been  constructed  and  has 
become  the  main  traveled  road.  Yreka,  the 
great  mining  town  of  California,  is  about  eighty 
miles  south  of  Jacksonville. 

Near  Jacksonville  is  thr>  Indian  Agency,  for 
the  Indians  in  all  Southern  Oregon. 

Near  this,  and  about  twenty  miles  north  of 
Jacksonville,  is  the  well  known  Table  Rock,  where 
the  great  battle  was  fought  in  lo63,  between  Gen. 
Jos.  Lane  and  his  command  and  the  Rogue  river 


ROGUE  RIVER  VALLEY. 


68 


Indians.  It  was  at  this  place  that  Lane  received 
his  severe  wound  in  the  shoulder ;  it  was  here  that 
Capt.  Ogden  was  killed ;  here  Capt.  P.  M.  Arm- 
STRONG  (brother  of  the  writer)  was  killed — Capt. 
Oldem  mounded  and  disabled  for  life — and  many 
othsr  valuable  lives  were  lost.  Those  who  were 
slai'i  were  all  decently  buried,  but  no  sooner  had 
the  soldiers  left  the  place  than  the  brutal  savages 
ret  irned,  dug  them  from  their  graves  and  cut 
them  to  pieces,  leaving  their  mangled  bodies  to  be 
devoured,  and  their  bones  gnawed  by  the  wolves. 

The  following  "  items"  of  "  mining  intelli- 
gence" were  extracted  from  publications  made  in 
1856,  and  will  serve  to  give  a  pretty  good  idea  of 
the  Rogue  river  mines : 

"  Jackson  Creek. — The  roiners  on  Jackson  creek  and 
vicinity  are  doing  well,  many  of  them  taking  out  from  two 
to  three  ounces  a  day  to  the  hand.  Those  who  have 
sunk  shafts  and  drifted  on  the  bed  rock,  as  a  general 
thing,  find  gold  in  considerable  quantities. 

"  Steuling. — Where  water  can  be  had  to  wac-h  with,  at 
Sterling,  the  miners  arc  doing  very  well.  Many  are 
drifting  and  stacking  up  the  dirt  until  tno  water  comes. 
As  soon  js  it  rains,  gold  will  be  .ashed  out  in  great 
abundance  at  Sterling. 

"  We  have  seen  and  conver.ied  with  some  of  the 
returned  party  who  have  been  down  Rogue  river,  and  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  coast,  they  report  tha'^  on  Galice  creek 
the  miners  are  doing  well,  perhaps  better  than  any 
former  period  since  the  mines  have  been  worked  on  that 
creek. 

"Whisky  Creek,  we  understand,  is  all  claimed,  also 
the  gulches  making  into  the  creek  ;  but  our  informant 
could  not  say  how  well  they  were  doing,  but  from  the 


64 


OREGON. 


extent  of  the  claims,  the  natural  inference  would  be  that 
it  paid  well. 

"John  Mule  Creek. — The  gold  is  coarse,  and  those 
having  experience  say  that  the  prospects  are  good,  yet  the 
prospecting  party  only  prospected  near  the  surface  and  but 
temporarily. 

"  Meadows. — Gold  was  found  and  justifies  the  party  in 
saying  that  in  some  places  it  will  pay  ten  dollars  a  day  to 
the  hand — generally  found  on  the  bars  in  the  river,  the 
gold  heavy,  and  of  the  best  quality. 

"  Big  Bend  op  Rogue  River. — The  prospects  good, 
and  coarse  gold.  The  impression  of  those  prospecting  is, 
that  good  diggings  will  be  found  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Big  Bend. 

"  Illinois. — At  the  mouth  of  Illinois  river  but  slightly 
prospected.  A  few  miles  up  the  river  the  miners  are 
doing  well  when  they  can  work.  Many  good  claims  are 
lying  without  being  worked  on  Jiceount  of  the  Indians,  as 
there  are  quite  a  number  of  hostile  Indians  in  that  neigh- 
borhood, of  Old  John's  band,  who  have  not  made  peace. 

'•  Pistol  River  could  not  be  prospected  on  account  of 
the  Indian.i.  The  appearance  of  the  country  and  every 
indication  goes  to  warrant  the  conclusion  that  gold  is 
plenty  on  this  river. 

"  Ciietco  was  but  slightly  prospected;  the  prospect 
was  good,  the  gold  coarse ;  but  little  doubt  of  rich 
diggings  at  this  place.  The  prospectors  were  prevented 
from  thoroughly  prospecting  the  country  on  account  of  the 
Indians.  It  is  reported  that  there  are  at  least  one  hundred 
warriors  roving  over  the  Coast  Range  of  mountains  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Rogue  river." 

The  SiSKiou  Mountains  appear  to  be  nature's 
geographical  boundary  line  between  Oregon  and 
California,  as  it  is  a  regular  chain,  or  solid  moun- 
tain, from  the  Pacific  coast  east  to  the  Cascade 
Range.  But  it  is  from  twelve  to  twenty-five  miles 
north  of  the  true  boundary  line,  which  is  estab- 


./* 


ROGUE   RIVER   VALLEY. 


65 


lished  on  latitude  42"  north.  There  is  only  one 
small  stream  south  of  these  mountains,  within  the 
limits  of  Oregon — Smith'' s  river,  which  has  been 
l)ut  little  explored,  except  by  a  few  gold  hunters, 
who  report  an  abundance  of  gold,  and  likewise  a 
numerous  horde  of  hostile  Indians. 

The  distance  from  Salem,  the  present  seat  of 
government,  to  the  southern  boundary  of  Oregon, 
measured  on  the  raeriuian  line,  is  two  hundred  and 
four  miles  ;  but,  by  the  traveled  road,  it  is  more 
than  three  hundred  miles. 

In  the  extreme  southern  portions  of  the  Terri- 
tory, the  grizzly  bear  is  a  great  annoyance  to  the 
farmers,  in  killing  and  carrying  off  their  stock. 
They  seldom  attack  a  man,  un^  'J  when  wounded 
or  have  been  ci-me  upon  su  'y  and  have  no 
t;hance  for  retreat,  when  they  willingly  engage  in 
a  battle  for  death  or  victory.  The  desci  .ptiou  and 
habits  of  this  ferocious  animal  liavc  been  su  often 
given  to  the  public,  that  I  will  not  here  repeat 
the  same. 

Elk,  black  tailed  deer,  and  antelope,  aboun«^ 
plentifully  in  this  region  of  country.  It  is  amus- 
ing to  sit  on  some  high  butte,  and  look  over  a 
beautiful  valley  and  see  the  deer  and  antelopi' 
skipping  about  over  the  plain  below. 

A  small  species  of  wolf,  called  by  the  natives,  coy- 
ote— (pronounced  ki-o-ta) — annoys  the  antelope 
very  much,  in  the  months  of  June  and  July.  Tliey 
will  never  attack  a  full  grown  antelope,  but  when 
the  fawns  begin  to  travel,  they  manifest  a  great 


66 


OREGON. 


anxiety  to  get  hold  of  them,  and  at  the  same  thne 
tliey  stand  in  mortal  dread  of  the  keen  eyes  and 
sharp  hoofs  of  the  old  antelopes  ;  you  will  see 
them  skulking  and  hiding  Jibout  where  the  antelopes 
are  feeding,  watehing  every  movement  of  a  fawn 
as  it  plays  about,  until  finally,  tired  out,  it  lies 
down  to  rest  or  sleep,  its  mother  carelessly  croj> 
ping  the  grass,  some  distance  oiT.  The  coyote  im- 
proves the  opportunity  by  suddenly  leaping  from 
the  chaparral  and  pouncing  upon  its  victim.  As 
soon  as  the  old  antelope  discovers  the  situation  of 
her  young,  slie  utters  a  keen  whistle,  and  darts 
after  the  coyote,  followed  by  the  whole  flock.  If 
tiiG  wolf  has  miscalculated  the  distance,  and  fails 
to  reach  the  shelter  of  a  chaparral  thicket  before 
being  overtaken,  he  is  instantly  stamped  to  death 
for  his  impudence.  And  if,  as  he  is  prowling 
about,  the  coyote  happens  to  be  espied  by  the  ante- 
lopes, tlie  latter  all  gather  in  a  crowd,  forming  a 
ring,  in  the  center  of  which  their  young  are  placed, 
while  a  portion  of  the  flock  Avill  leave  the  ring  and 
take  after  the  ofTender ;  as  soon  as  he  perceives 
them  coming,  knowing  that  his  life  is  in  danger, 
the  coyote  "  breaks"  for  the  chaparral — but  if  ho 
is  overtaken,  the  foremost  antelope  springs  high 
in  the  air  and  alights  on  the  coyote,  which  knocks 
him  over,  and  then  the  entire  flock  in  pursuit 
alight  on  him,  succeselv  ly,  in  the  same  manner, 
so  fast  that  he  cannot  j(;gain  his  feet.  The  ante- 
lope's hoof  being  sharp,  every  leap  cuts,  and  the 
coyote  is  soon  trampled  to  death.     The  antelope 


COASTS    AND    HARBORS. 


67 


is  smaller  than  the  common  deer ;  their  meat  is 
the  most  delicious  of  wild  game — being  much  finer 
grained  than  the  common  venison. 

The  common  black  bear  is  abundant  in  this 
region,  and,  being  easily  killed,  affords  the  miners 
excellent  food. 


IX. 


I  WILL  now  proceed  to  give  a  description  of  the 
Coasts  and  Harbors  of  Oregon,  commencing  at 
the  California  line. 

The  first  harbor  is  the  mouth  of  Smith's  river, 
south  of  the  Siskiou  Mountains,  which  is  twenty 
miles  north  of  Crescent  City,  and  affords  an  en- 
trance for  small  vessels.  Near  the  mouth  of  this 
river  is  Pelican  Bay,  in  the  vicinity  of  which  are 
good  beach  diggings. 

We  next  reach  tlie  mouth  of  Rogue  river,  where 
there  is  neither  entrance  nor  harbor.  The  beach 
is  rocky  and  precipitous ;  some  farming  land  is  to 
be  found  in  the  vicinity,  and  beach  gold  diggings 
that  have  paid  well,  but  both  miners  and  settlers 
were  cither  killed  or  driven  off  during  the  Indian 
war  of  185G.  It  was  at  this  place  that  Benjamin 
Wright  and  Capt.  John  Poland  were  killed,  and 
the  great  massacre  took  place  of  the  troops  under 
their  command,  and  of  the  citizens  of  the  place, 
by  the  professedly  friendly  Indians. 

In  the  summer  of  1854,  the  beach  was  lined 


68 


OREGON. 


with  the  tents  and  shanties  of  the  gold  diggers, 
from  Rogue  river  to  Port  Orford,  a  distance  of 
thirty-five  miles ;  but  there  is  no  mining  going  on 
now.  The  gold  obtained  here  is  of  the  purest 
quality,  being  in  thin  flakes  like  wheat  bran. 

Port  Orford  is  the  next  place  of  note  that 
we  arrive  at.  It  is  a  beautiful  bay,  with  easy 
entrance ;  there  are  some  high  rocks  peering  up 
above  the  water,  but  ships  of  the  largest  size  can 
with"  safety  run  up  and  anchor  within  eighty 
rods  of  the  beach.  The  harbor  is  not  good,  as 
there  is  no  shelter  from  the  south.  The  mines  of 
Port  Orford  do  not  yield  as  large  a  profit  to  the 
miner  as  those  of  Rogue  river.  Bnt  the  abundance 
of  water,  and  the  fact  that  supplies  are  shipped 
here  by  water,  without  the  expense  of  land  trans- 
portation, make  it  much  more  convenient  and  com- 
fortable for  the  miner.  Another  serious  difficulty 
in  the  way  of  very  successful  mining  is,  that  the 
gold  dust  is  not  v^orth  more  than  ten  dollars  an 
ounce,  owing  to  the  large  amount  of  a  mineral 
called  irid-osmium — a  co  apound  of  iridium  and 
osmium,  two  minerals  found  in  some  of  the  mines 
in  a  pure  state — which  is  mixed  with  the  dust. 
Irid-osmium  is  usually  found  in  very  small  grains, 
round  or  flattened,  about  as  large  as  the  end  of  a 
small  type ;  its  specific  gravity  is  greater  than 
that  of  gold,  and  its  color  and  lustre  is  that  of 
bright  steel ;  on  account  of  its  weight  it  cannot  be 
separated  from  the  gold  by  washing  or  blowing. 
When  the  miner  has,  apparently,  obtained  three 


0 
0 

i 
a 
t 

s 
I 


COASTS   AND   HARBORS. 


69 


ounces  of  fj^okl,  he  has  generally  one  ounce  of  irid- 
osniium.  It  is  of  but  little  use  in  the  arts  ;  it  is 
insoluble  in  any  known  acid  or  combination  of 
acids  ;  it  is  infusible  ;  and  it  is  extremely  hard — 
the  smallest  piece,  laid  on  a  steel  hammer  and 
struck  with  another  hammer,  will  enter  the  steel 
before  it  will  yield.  There  is  no  other  part  of  the 
mining  district  where  this  compound  is  so  abundant 
as  at  the  Fort  Orford  mines,  although  there  is 
some  found  mixed  with  the  gold  of  Klamath  lake 
and  ^^hasta. 

Tiie  Indians  of  Port  Orford  arc  rather  an  indif- 
ferent looking  tribe.  They  are  rather  below  the 
ordinary  stature  ;  are  indolent,  lazy,  and  filthy  in 
appearance ;  live  mostly  on  fish ;  are  generally 
aflected  with  weak  cyCs,  many  of  them  being 
entirely  blind,  and  many  others  partially  so  ;  occa- 
sionally covered  with  sores  about  the  neck,  of 
syphilitic  origin.  Although  yet  a  large  tribe,  they 
can  survive  but  a  few  generations  more,  before 
becoming  extinct.  Until  the  Indian  war  broke 
out,  the  more  rugged  and  savage  tribe  inhabiting 
the  Rogue  river  country  were  a  great  terror  to 
these  miserable  Indians — taking  from  them  what- 
ever they  chose,  reducing  them  to  servitude, 
and  making  beasts  of  burden  of  them  whenever  it 
suited  them  to  do  so.  i3ut  during  the  war  they 
all  united,  and  coopcratod  as  a  band  of  brothers 
against  the  '-Bostons" — the  whites. 

The  boy  of  Port  Orford  is  sometimes  called 
Tichcnor's  Bay.     It  is  in  north  latitude  42°  45'. 


60 


OREGON. 


Upon  entering  the  harbor,  you  pass  near  a  precipi- 
tous bluff  on  the  right,  while  on  the  other  liand  a 
large  rock  rises  up  out  of  the  sea  to  the  height 
of  one  hundred  feet,  which  covers  four  acres  of 
ground ;  it  is  shaped  something  like  an  egg,  with 
the  point  toward  tlie  sand  beach  and  reaching 
within  twenty  feet  of  it.  Issuing  from  the  side  of 
tliis  rock  flows  a  beautiful  little  stream  of  fresh, 
clear,  cold,  pure  water,  eighty  feet  above  tide- 
water. I  am  particular  in  thfs  description  of  the 
rock,  as  we  have  an  instance  to  relate,  here,  show- 
ing the  sagacity  of  the  Oregonian. 

In  the  year  1851,  a  party  of  men  from  Portland, 
Oregon,  selected  this  spot  for  a  town  site,  depend- 
ing on  its  harbor,  and  the  transportation  by 
pack  animals  to  the  interior,  as  the  basis  of  its  suc- 
cess as  a  point  of  business.  The  discovery  of  gold 
on  the  coast  stimulated  their  progress,  and  added 
to  their  prospects.  The  party  consisted  of  eigh- 
teen men,  who  landed  at  Port  Orford  and  com- 
menced establishing  a  town.  After  remaining  a 
short  time,  their  stock  of  provisions  began  to  get 
low,  and  there  being  no  means  of  procuring  a  sup- 
ply nearer  than  San  Francisco  or  Portland,  nine  of 
the  company  hoisted  sail  upon  their  schooner  and 
returned  to  Portland  to  obtain  a  cargo  of  pro- 
visions. 

At  that  time  there  was  but  little  known  of  the 
country  between  Port  Orford  and  the  Willamette 
Valley,  a  distance  ot  some  three  hundred  miles, 
and  no  knowledge  was  possessed  by  the  whites  of 


' 


COASTS  AND   HARBORS. 


61 


any  passago  over  or  around  the  high,  rough  moun- 
tains, the  deep  canons  and  gulches.  No  ono 
possessed  any  accurate  knowledge  of  the  country 
except  some  old  Indian  traders  and  venturesome 
trappers  and  hunters,  and  these  were  scddom  very 
communicative  respecting  the  country,  unless 
questioned  particularly  in  regard  to  it. 

This  section  of  Oregon,  at  that  time,  contained 
about  two  thousand  Indian  warriors,  in  the  various 
tribes,  who  soon  became  aware  that  the  ^vhites 
had  settled  their  country,  and  they  soon  deter- 
mined to  murder  the  little  band  at  Port  Orford. 
The  latter  became  alarmed,  and  determined  to 
retire  from  their  weak  fort  on  the  main  land,  to 
the  rock  before  alluded  to,  where  they  could 
better  fortify  themselves  against  attack.  This 
they  accomplished  by  throwing  some  poles  across 
the  chasm  from  the  beach  to  the  rock.  This  rock 
was  a  natural  fortress — presenting  three  precipi- 
tous sides  to  the  ocean,  and  being  accessible  from 
the  land  only  at  one  narrow  point,  and  there  only 
by  the  aid  of  an  artificial  bridge.  Tlie  little  party 
of  nine  men  now  carried  their  little  brass  cannon 
— a  six  pounder — and  all  their  guns,  pistols,  and 
ammunition,  on  to  this  rock,  and  fortified  their  foot- 
bridge or  pass-way.  This  was,  for  the  distance  of 
fifty  yards,  not  more  than  five  feet  in  width,  and  if 
the  foot  of  any  person  walking  upon  it  slipped,  he 
would  fall  fifty  feet  headlong  into  the  sea.  At  a 
point  sixty  yards  from  the  beach,  the  whites  pre- 
pared their  fortification,  leaving  a  port  hole  for  their 


I 


.**■; 


**, 


t^Oh 


62 


OREGON. 


cannon.  They  then  loaded  the  piece  witli  slugs, 
stones,  and  bits  of  iron,  to  the  very  muzzle,  and 
j)rei)ared  themselves  for  either  deatli  or  victory — 
determined,  however,  to  light  to  the  last  extremity. 
They  were  not  long  left  in  suspense.  Their  pre- 
cautions were  well  timed,  for  on  the  following  day 
the  tribes  from  the  Umpqua,  Rogue,  and  Co(|uille 
rivers  assembled,  mustering  a  thousand  or  twelve 
hundred  warriors,  armed  with  bows,  arrows  and 
war  clubs  ;  they  were  entirely  unacqAainied  witii 
tlie  use  of  the  death-dealing  rifle,  or  gunpowder. 
They  commenced  the  attack  by  pouring  up  the 
narrow  pass-way  as  tliick  as  they  could  crowd, 
with  frightful  yells  ;  and  the  little  band  began  tc 
look  upon  their  fate  as  being  already  sealed. 
The  wiiites  had  chosen  a  Tennesseean,  of  Jackson 
nerve,  as  their  commander,  who  restrained  his 
men  until  the  Indians  had  approached  within  ten 
paces  of  the  mouth  of  the  cannon.  Arrows  were 
flying  thick  and  fast  against  the  barricade,  and 
over  their  heads,  and  the  savages  were  rushing  on 
with  exulting  yells,  as  if  certain  of  success.  At 
length  the  commander,  in  a  loud,  firm  voice  gave 
the  woiu — "  Fire  .'" — and  the  cannon  and  rifles 
simultaneously  discharged  their  messengers  of 
death,  witli  deafening  roar.  The  scene  that 
ensued  was  one  of  horror  that  baflles  all  descrip- 
tion !  The  yells  of  confident  triumph  were 
changed  to  shrieks  of  horror  and  despair — scores 
dropped  in  their  tracks,  dead — others,  wounded, 
went  rolling  and  tumbling  over  the  sides  of  the 


'i^» 


COASTS    AND    HARBORS. 


63 


rocky  precipice — \vi1il3  liundretls  who  wore  UMliurt 
by  tlie  discharge,  wjrc  so  iVightened  that  they 
sprang  headU>ii<>;  over  tlie  precipice,  striking 
against  tlie  craggy  rocks  in  their  descent,  tnnibling 
from  rock  to  rock,  until  they  struck  the  roaring 
and  Ibaniing  surf,  to  rise  no  more.  The  number 
of  A^arriors  slain  at  this  single  discharge  was 
never  correctly  ascertained,  but  it  was  afterward 
admitted  by  the  Indians  that  tliree-fourths  ot^their 
braves  were  swept  oil".  Tlio  survivors,  alarmed 
beyond  measure  at  the  report  of  the  cannon — 
never  having  heard  the  like  before,  as  thunder  is 
unknown  in  Oregon — (led  in  consternation  to  the 
mountains. 

Our  little  bnnd  came  off  unharmed,  but  as  they 
had  not  suflicient  powder  left  for  another  round, 
and  as  they  feared  a  renewal  of  the  attack,  when 
the  Indians  should  have  overcome  their  temporary 
fright,  they  concluded  to  abandon  the  place. 
Accordingly,  after  nightfall,  about  eleven  o'clock, 
they  crawled  from  their  "  Rock  of  Safety,"  and 
made  their  way  to  the  nearest  mountain.  The 
mountains  being  covered  with  heavy  timber  and 
thick  undergrowth  afforded  them  secure  refuge 
from  their  enemies.  For  nineteen  days  they 
Avandered  over  the  mountains,  bearing  a  general 
course  toward  the  Willamette  Valley,  where  they 
arrived  at  the  end  of  that  time,  in  safety,  subsist- 
ing on  the  way,  upon  such  food  as  they  could 
procure  in  the  woods. 


64 


OREGON. 


From  that  day  to  this,  the  scene  of  their  tcrriMe 
fight  has  borne  the  name  of  the  "  Battle  Rock." 


About  eighteen  miles  north  of  Port  Orford,  on 
the  coast,  is  Cape  Blanco,  near  north  Latitude  43° 
and  west  longitude  124°  81' — the  most  westerly 
point  of  the  U.  S.,  except  Cape  Mendocino,  in 
Calilbrnia,  which  is  in  west  longitude  124°  38'. 
Cape  Blanco  presents  a  high,  rugged,  rocky  clift' 
to  the  sea,  which  extends  far  out  into  the  ocean. 
As  the  mariner  doubles  this  cape,  the  white 
breakers  can  be  seen  dashing  wildly  along  the 
rocky  barrier,  and  flying  iifty  feet  into  the  air. 
The  rock  appears  to  be  a  kind  of  conglomerate,  or 
lava. 

Twelve  miles  further  north  we  reach  the  mouth 
of  Se.quatchin  river,  a  small  stream  of  no  im- 
portance, as  it  affords  but  little  funning  land.  It 
has  been  a  place  of  great  resort  for  the  Indians, 
as  salmon  run  up  this  stream  in  great  numbers ; 
elk  al)ound  here ;  and  in  no  part  of  Oregon  are 
there  so  many  black  tail  deer  as  on  this  river. 
There  has  been  no  prospecting  for  gold  here, 
except  along  the  beach,  where  some  has  been 
found  ;  but  the  whole  country  abounds  in  gold- 
blossom,  or  quart/  rock,  and  now  that  the  Indians 
are  to  be  removed,  this  section  will  be  thorougidy 
prospected. 

Eight  miles  further  up  the  coast  is  the  mouth  of 
Coquille  river.  Until  the  fall  of  1855,  but  little 
was  known  of  this  stream ;  and  there  are  but  few 


COASTS   AND    IIAUBOUS. 


05 


settlers  on  it  yet.  No  part  of  Orcfj^on,  however, 
j)resents  greater  indiiccinouts  to  the  fanner  and 
stock  raiser  than  the  Coqnille  country.  Mining 
lias  been  carried  on  liere  to  some  extent,  with 
success,  but  the  country  has  not  been  thoroughly 
prospected,  hitherto,  on  account  of  the  hostility 
of  the  Indians.  The  harbor  of  Coquille  is  good, 
and  tho  entrance  easy  for  vessels  drawing  not 
more  than  fifteen  feet.  Tide  water  runs  up  the 
bay  for  sixty  miles,  and  ships  can  safely  ascend 
the  distance  of  fifty  miles.  There  are  large 
bodies  of  »eautiful  prairie,  for  farming  and  grazing 
purposes,  lying  along  the  shores  of  the  l)ay,  but 
the  greater  portion  of  the  bay  is  ^.ii rounded  by 
mountains — some  covered  with  tall  and  beautiful 
fir  and  pine  timber,  with  occasional  groves  of 
cedar,  and  others  destitute  of  timber  but  clothed 
with  grass. 

I  will,  in  a  few  words,  give  you  a  (^"scription 
of  a  ten  days*  stroll  that  I  took  over  the  valleys 
and  hills  of  the  Coquille.  Almost  the  first  object 
of  interest  that  attracted  my  attention  was  a  tree, 
standing  close  to  the  river,  about  twelve  miles 
below  the  junction  of  me  North  Fork.  On  the 
bark  of  this  tree,  I  could  trace  the  name  of  Dennis 
Wjiite,  and  date  1884,  Avhicli  had  been  cut  in  with 
a  knife.  Near  by,  is  the  stump  of  another  tree 
cut  down  about  the  seme  time,  from  appearances, 
and  about  twelve  feet  of  the  trunk  is  gone.  It  is 
supposed  that  some  unfortunate  man  had  been 
ship-wrecked  somewhere  on   the   coast,  and  had 


66 


OREGON. 


wandered  thus  far,  without  being  discovered  by 
tlic  Indians,  when,  finding  it  impossible  to  travel 
furtlier  east,  he  endeavored  to  make  a  canoe  and 
return  to  the  coast.  The  Avhole  party,  however, 
if  this  supposition  be  correct,  must  have  perished 
or  been  killed,  as  we  have  no  account  of  any 
white  man  visiting  that  bay  until  eight  years  later, 
when  it  was  discovered  by  Capt.  P.  M.  Armstrong, 
in  1842,  while  he  w  as  on  a  voyage  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Columbia  to  San  Francisco.  His  vessel 
was  a  common  sized  schooner,  and,  a  violent 
storm  arising  from  the  west,  he  saw  no  chance  to 
escape,  as  the  wind  was  driving  his  boat  at  a  rapid 
rate  landward,  where  the  waves  were  beating 
violently  against  the  iron-bound  shore.  Discov- 
ering a  smooth  opening  in  the  foaming  waves,  he 
set  his  vessel's  prow  for  that  point,  intending  to 
beach  her,  and  thus,  perhaps,  save  the  lives  of  his 
crew  ;  to  this  end  he  crowded  on  sail,  in  the  liope 
of  being  able  to  run  her  far  up  on  the  sandy  beach. 
The  reader  can  imagine  the  pleasure  and  astonish- 
r.ient  of  "  all  hands"  when  they  found  their  vessel 
riding  safely  over  the  waves  into  a  beautiful  l)ay, 
whce  they  found  a  secure  harbor  from  tlie  driving 
storm.  They  remained  there  five  days,  killing  a 
number  of  elk.  They  also  discovered  gold,  but, 
not  being  experienced  miners,  and  tliis  being 
previous  to  the  discovery  of  gold  on  the  Pacific 
coast,  elsewhere,  their  discovery  was  passed  by 
without  much  notice. 

Another  thing  that  attracted  my  attention  was 


■r 


COASTS   AND   HARBORS. 


67 


the  incalculable  number  of  elk  that  ranged 
through  this  section  of  country.  At  that  season 
of  the  year,  (September,)  in  the  morning  and 
evening,  they  made  the  hills  ring  with  their 
braying  and  whistling.  Some  of  them  are  very 
large,  weighing  from  six  hundred  to  eight  hundred 
pounds,  after  being  dressed. 

The  next  thing  that  came  under  my  observation 
was  the  large  amount  of  good  land  I  passed  over. 
The  fertile,  or  tillable  land  is  not  confined  to  the 
banks  of  the  river,  for  every  tributary  that  flows 
into  the  Coquille  affords  beautiful  prairies,  and 
bare  buttes,  covered  with  luxuriant  grass.  The 
timber,  on  the  bottom  lands,  is  mostly  myrtle,  ash, 
and  maple — the  soil  being  a  black  sandy  loam. 
Some  of  the  surrounding  hills  are  covered  with 
fir,  pine,  and  red  and  white  cedar. 

In  1856  this  was  a  wild  country — there  being 
not  to  exceed  a  dozen  wiiite  men  in  the  valley,  and 
but  two  families  from  its  head  to  its  mouth,  a 
distance  of  over  a  hundred  miles.  One  difiiculty 
attending  this  valley  is,  that  the  trail  for  pack 
animals  east,  over  the  Coast  Mountains,  to  the 
settlements,  is  very  rough — a  strong  pack  mule 
being  able  to  pack  no  more  than  one  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds.  But  the  harbor  will  shortly  be  a 
place  of  note,  being  a  short  distance  only  from 
Kowes  Bay,  a  fact  that  will  greatly  facilitate  the 
Gcttlemcnt  of  the  Coquille  country. 

This  is  one  of  the  greatest  places  for  wild  fruits 
to  bo  found  on   the  Pacific  coast,  as  there  is  a 


■—-— -"^MHP 


68 


OREGON. 


supply  of  ripe  and  fresh  fruit  five  months  in  the 
year.  Among  the  varieties  are  the  strawberry, 
white  and  red ;  salmon  berry ;  blackberry ;  salal 
berry  ;  and  two  kinds  of  huckleberry,  the  summer 
and  winter — the  latter  a  beautiful  red,  size  and 
appearance  of  the  cranberry,  grows  on  elevated 
table  land,  ripens  in  September  and  lasts  until 
December.  The  Indians  of  Coquillc  live  entirely 
on  berries  and  fish — drying  both  for  winter  use. 

KowES  Bay,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  of  the 
same  name,  in  north  latitude  43°  30',  comes  next. 
Cape  Arago  lying  immediately  on  the  south  of 
the  entrance  of  the  bay.  As  this  bay  is  generally 
written  "  Coose,"  we  will  hereafter  adopt  the 
same  style.  The  entrance  has,  until  recently, 
been  considered  dangerous,  until,  lately,  it  is 
found  to  afford  a  good  entrance.  Below  I  give  a 
statement  m^de  by  Mr.  Clark  : 


"  COOSE  bay  bar. 

"  I  feci  it  due  to  rhe  citizens  of  Coose  Bay,  and  more 
especially  to  the  public,  that  I  make  a  true  and  faithful 
statement  of  the  depth  of  water  at  the  entrance  of  tliia 
harbor.  At  the  instance  of  Mr.  Northrop,  I  came  here 
some  time  ago  to  examine  the  entrance,  in  view  of  bring- 
ing in  the  bark  Success,  Capt.  Davenport,  a  vessel  of 
203  tons.  During  this  examination,  I  crossed  and  re- 
crossed  the  bar  seventeen  times,  and  examined  carefully 
and  thoroughly  the  whole  lay  of  the  bar.  Where  Capt. 
Crosby  lays  the  channel  on  his  chart,  there  is  very  little 
water — not  onough  to  carry  even  a  small  vessel  in  safety. 
But  to  th.3  northward  of  the  line  marked  on  Crosby's 
chart  for  the  channel,  there  is  a  channel  sufficiently  wide 
for  beating  in  or  out,  and  which  has  not  less  than  fourteen 


COASTS  AND   HARBORS. 


69 


or  fifteen  feet  of  water  at  ordinary  or  half  tide.  I  went 
out  to  Capt.  Davenport  in  a  canoe,  and  he,  not  knowing 
nic,  and  having  Crosby's  chart,  and  sec'ng  that  I  wanted 
to  bring  liini  in  to  the  northward,  was  afraid  to  risk  me, 
and  sent  in  a  note  to  Mr.  Northrop,  by  an  Indian,  for 
instructions.  The  Indian  not  getting  back  with  the  in- 
structions, the  next  day  the  Captain  concluded  to  risk  it. 
So  about  noon  on  the  10th  inst.,  with  a  strong  north-west 
wind,  we  came  in  under  close-reefed  top-sails,  without 
touching,  or  without  shipping  a  drop  of  water. 

*'  The  l)ark  has  discharged  her  cargo,  and  will  proceed 
to  loading  coal  to-morrow.  In  my  opinion,  time  will 
prove  Goose  Bay  a  good  and  safe  place  for  shipping. 
The  public  will  bo  advised  from  time  to  time,  as  the  facts 
in  regard  to  the  bar  are  developed  by  experience. 

"  Respectfully  yours,  C.  Clauk. 

''Empire  City,  April  2S,  1855." 

Coosc  Bay  is  destined  to  be  a  place  of  consid- 
erable importance  at  no  distant  day.  It  is  sixty 
miles  in  length ;  its  shores  affording  some  good 
farming  land,  on  the  beach,  on  each  side,  but  the 
greater  portion  is  timber  of  the  fmcst  quality — lir, 
cedar  and  pine.  It  will  bo  a  great  lumbering 
point,  as  it  is  nearer  to  San  Francisco  than  any 
other,  having  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  timber. 
There  arc,  by  this  time,  two  steam  saw  mills  in 
operation. 

The  best  coal  mines  on  the  Pacilic  coast  are  on 
the  beach  of  Coose  Bay,  and  a  number  of  hands 
are  constantly  employed  at  this  place  in  taking  the 
coal  from  the  mines  and  loading  the  ships,  there 
being  generally  from  three  to  five  ships  in  tbe  har- 
bor taking  coal  on  board.  San  Francisco  in  a 
great  measure   depends   upon  Coose  Bay  for  her 


70 


OREGON. 


supply.  The  bed,  or  vein  of  coal  is  situated  at 
the  water's  edge,  and  a  portion  of  it  is  so  low  that 
there  is  difficulty  in  raising  the  coal  on  account  of 
the  water  running  in  on  the  colliers. 

In  addition  to  the  lumbering  and  coal  business, 
no  where  else  do  the  beach  gold  diggings  pay  bet- 
ter than  at  Coose  Bay.  The  gold  is  pure,  bright, 
yellow  and  scaly,  resembling  the  Feather  river 
gold  of  California. 

The  trail  over  the  mountains,  east,  to  the  settle- 
ments, is  very  rugged.  The  amount  of  farming 
and  grazing  country,  gold  mines,  and  coal  fields, 
of  the  Coquille  region  cannot  be  estimated,  having 
been  explored  but  little  except  along  the  coast. 
The  Coquille  and  Coose  rivers  are  but  a  short  dis- 
tance apart — at  one  point  approaching  within 
twelve  miles  of  each  other,  without  a?iy  mountain 
or  barriers,  except  a  low  bottom  intervening, 
and  when  the  Coquille  is  very  high,  it  sometimes 
overflows  its  banks,  and  its  waters  find  their  way 
into  the  Coose. 

The  mouth  of  the  Umpqua  has  been  previously 
described.  It  has  a  good  liarbor,  and  is  fifteen 
miles  north  of  Coose  Bay,  in  north  latitude  4o°  45'. 

We  arrive,  in  latitude  44"  15',  at  Cape  Pp:petua, 
just  north  of  the  mouth  of  Sciislicum  river,  z  small 
stream  that  forms  the  southern  boundary  of  the 
Coast  or  Yamhill  Indian  Reservation,  and  furnishes 
excellent  fisheries  for  the  Indians. 

Continuing  north,  along  the  coast,  to  latitude 
44°  45',  we  arrive  at  the  mouth  of  the  Alseya  river , 


COASTS   AND    HARBORS. 


71 


a  small  stream,  Avith  a  bay  fifteen  miles  in  length, 
affording  entrance  for  small  vessels.  A  trail  leads 
from  this  point,  east,  over  the  Coast  Mountains,  to 
Corvallis.  There  is  some  good  farming  land  about 
the  head  of  the  bay,  and  some  claims  were  made 
there,  but,  being  in  the  Reserve,  they  had  to  be 
abandoned. 

Cape  Foulweather  is  eight  miles  further  up 
the  coast. 

About  latitude  45°  is  the  mouth  of  Nekas  river 
— of  little  importance  except  for  fishing  and  hunt- 
ing ;  the  stream  abounds  with  fine  salmon,  and  the 
hills  with  elk,  black  tail  deer,  and  black  bear. 

Nine  miles  further  north  is  the  mouth  of  the 
Yaquinna,  or  Salmon  river,  near  the  mouth  of 
which  there  is  some  farming  land.  There  is,>  at 
this  place,  neither  harbor  nor  entrance.  The 
stream  is  noted  for  its  fisheries.  Its  head  is  east 
of  the  Coast  Range,  and  the  sources  of  this  stream 
and  the  Yamhill  river  are  not  more  than  six  hun- 
dred yards  apart ;  which  affords  a  gap  entirely 
through  these  mountains.  The  salmon  ascend  this 
stream  to  its  very  head  waters  in  great  numbers  ; 
and  the  settlers  of  the  Willamette  Valley  visited 
this  fishing  ground  to  a  considerable  extent,  in  the 
^ears  1854  and  1855,  but  owing  to  the  fact  that 
this  portion  of  the  country  is  included  within 
the  boundary  of  the  Coast  Reserve,  the  whites  are 
no  longer  permitted  to  fish  there — which  deprives 
the  settlers  in  the  Valley  of  all  fishing  facilities 
within  convenient  reach.     The  salmon  run  up  all 


72 


OREGON. 


w 


the  small  streams  tributary  to  this  river  in  such 
numbers  that,  in  deep  places — in  the  small 
branches  wlicre  the  water  is  eighteen  inches  deep 
— you  can,  in  half  an  hour,  takeout  as  many  largo 
fish  as  you  can  pack  on  a  mule. 

The  mouth  of  this  stream  is  noted  for  the  num- 
ber of  sea  lions  (or  seals)  that  are  found  on  the 
rocks  and  sand  beach.  Some  of  my  company  shot 
one  that  the  tide  afterward  drifted  on  shore  ard 
left  dead,  giving  us  an  opportunity  of  examining 
it  minutely  ;  it  was  one  of  the  largest  size — it 
would  have  weighed,  probably,  1200  or  1500 
pounds.  We  gave  it  to  the  Indians,  who  ap- 
peared to  be  very  thankful,  for  they  valued  it  as  a 
great  prize  ;  and  we  were  certainly  amply  repaid 
by  witnessing  their  actions.  The  men  all  gath- 
»ered  in  a  ring  around  the  carcase,  and  commenced 
brandishing  their  butcher  knives — -jumping  into 
the  air — turning  somersets — going  through  the  war 
dance  ;  suiting  all  their  words  to  their  actions. 
Occasionally  they  would  make  desperate  lunges 
at  the  dead  carcase  with  their  knives,  but  al\/ays 
took  good  care  to  miss  it,  while  their  blades  would 
sink  to  the  hilt  in  the  sand.  This  ceremony  lasted 
for  about  thirty  minutes,  when  the  chief  returned 
his  thanks  to  us  for  our  generosity  in  bestowing 
on  him  and  his  tribe  so  rich  and  bountiful  a  supply 
of  their  choicest  food.  He  then  turned  to  the 
carcase  of  the  "  lion,"  and  carefully  marked  it  off 
with  his  knife  in  pieces  about  the  size  of  sides  of 
bacon.     As  soon  as  it  was  all  marked  off,  all  went 


c 

V 

h 
c 
o 

tl 
ll 

2 


COASTS   AND   HARBORS. 


73 


forward  and  commenced  cutting  it  up  into  the  sized 
pieces  marked  off,  and  throwing  it  in  piles  on  the 
sand,  apparently  to  represent  the  heads  of  families 
or  wigwams.  The  women,  who,  all  this  time,  had 
been  sitting  quietly  on  the  grassy  beach,  watching 
the  movements  of  the  men,  as  soon  as  the  monster 
was  carved,  marched  up  in  a  row,  and  turned 
their  backs  toward  the  piles  of  meat ;  the  men 
began  to  pick  up  the  meat  and  lay  it  into  ihe  pack 
basket  that  was  strapped  on  each  squaw's  back — 
packing  them  with  from  sixty  to  one  hundred 
pounds  each.  The  whole  crowd  then  started  for 
camp,  a  distance  of  four  miles.  The  men  carried 
nothing ;  the  squaws  are  their  pack  animals. 

The  flesh  of  the  sea  lion  is  a  yellow,  oily  sub- 
stance— appears  to  be  a  perfect  body  of  oil,  with- 
out any  more  solidity  than  leaf  lard  from  a  fat  hog. 
Tiie  Indians  say  it  is  close-muk-a-miik,  (good  food,) 
after  it  lies  until  it  l)ccomcs  putrid.  They  let  all 
their  fish  and  flesh  become  so  putrid  that  the  stench 
is  intolerable  to  a  white  man  before  they  think  it 
fit  to  be  eaten.  They  live  mostly  on  fish  and  fish 
oil,  whale  blubber  and  whale  oil.  I  have  seen  one 
of  them  drink  a  (piart  of  whale  oil  at  a  draught, 
without  ever  taking  the  vessel  containing  it  from 
his  lips.  A  numljer  of  dead  whales  drift  upon  the 
coast  hereabouts — whales  that  have  been  crippled 
or  disabled  by  being  driven  against  the  rocks,  as 
the  surf  beats  more  violently  against  the  shore 
here  than  at  any  other  part  of  the  Pacific  coast. 
These  Indians  could  never  capture  a  whale  alive, 


mmmm 


74 


OREGON. 


II 


M 


.1 

ii 

I  ■ 

i\ 


for  they  are  a  fat,  squabby,  sluggish,  lubberly, 
lazy,  filthy  set  of  miserable  creatures.  Their 
filthy  habits  and  indolent  mode  of  life,  undoubt- 
edly contribute  to  their  degradation ;  they  have 
110  energy  whatever,  unless  it  be  to  dance  around 
a  dead  sea  lion,  and,  although  elk  and  bear  abound 
upon  the  neighboring  hills,  they  are  too  trifling 
and  lazy  to  chase  them. 

Continuing  our  journey  northward,  along  the 
coast,  we  arrive  next  at  Cape  Lookout,  in  north 
latitude  45°  20'.  In  going  along  the  beach  trail  to 
Tillamook,  you  cross  a  very  high,  rugged,  moun- 
tain side,  very  dangerous  and  hazardous  to  pack 
trains — especially  just  opposite  the  Cape,  as,  at 
that  point,  rocks  jut  boldly  out  on  the  steep  moun- 
tain side,  so  that  it  is  with  the  greatest  difficulty 
that  mules  can  pass  at  all ;  an  animal  losing  his 
foothold  here  would  have  a  clear  fall  of  three 
hundred  feet. 

In  north  latitude  45°  34',  lies  the  Bay  of  Tilla- 
mook. It  has  a  safe  entrance  and  harbor  for  small 
vessels,  and  the  bay  is  navigable  a  distance  of  twen- 
ty miles.  In  1856,  there  was  a  settlement  here  of 
about  thirty-seven  families,  who  have  a  good  pack 
trail  east  to  the  head  of  Yamhill  river,  by  which 
route  they  reach  the  Willamette  Valley.  The 
settlers  own  a  schooner,  which  does  a  coasting 
trade  to  Portland  and  San  Francisco.  Mr.  Smith, 
of  Tillamook,  deserves  great  credit  for  his  perse- 
verance and  energy  in  exploring  and  opening  trails 
to  and  from  Tillamook  ;  and  the  citizens  are  greatly 


COASTS   AND   HARBORS. 


75 


indebted  to  him  for  the  many  sacrifices  he  has 
made  in  bringing  that  valuable,  but  secluded  place 
into  notice.  There  is  some  beautiful  farming  land 
in  the  valley  and  around  the  bay,  comprising  a 
boundary  of  from  eight  to  ten  townsliips  of  as 
beautiful  farming  and  grazing  country  as  Oregon 
affords.  There  is  about  one  township  of  tide  land, 
that  affords  the  very  best  of  pasturage.  The  fish- 
eries of  Tillamook  are  surpassed  l)y  but  few  in 
Oregon.  A  county  has  been  laid  off,  called  Tilla- 
mook, and  at  no  distant  day  this  will  be  a  place 
of  considerable  note.  The  following  letter,  con- 
tributed to  one  of  the  Oregon  papers,  will  be  read 
with  interest : 


tly 


"  Since  my  return  from  Tillamook,  some  weeks  ago,  I 
find  many  anxious  inquirers  concerning  the  route  to  the 
coast,  the  settlements,  soil  and  produce. 

"  The  route  from  Grand  Konde  to  Tillamook,  is  a  trail 
barely  practicable.  It  is  the  intention  to  finish  the  wagon 
road  as  soon  as  convenient  which  will  make  the  traveling 
distance  from  Salcia  to  Tillamook,  with  wagons,  two  and  a 
half  days  ;  and  as  good  a  road  can  be  made  as  from  Salem 
to  Portland.  I  think  the  day  is  not  far  distant,  when  our 
mails  will  come  through  the  Tillamook  route  for  all  post 
ofiices  above  Dayton,  as  it  is  the  nearest  and  most  practical 
route  as  soon  as  the  road  shall  be  opened  :  for  there  are 
no  large  streams  to  be  crossed,  and  there  will  be  no 
washing  away  of  briilges,  or  freezing  up  of  rivers,  &c. 
There  will  be  the  advantage  also  of  a  safe  harbor  for 
vessels  to  come  in  and  go  out,  at  any  time,  or  with  any 
wind,  the  entrance  being  good.  I  learn  from  Mr.  J.  P. 
Morgenson,  a  ship-builder  residing  near  the  bay,  that  at 
low  tide,  he  measured  seventeen  feet  water  on  the  bar. 

"  The  country  is  not  quite  as  large  as  I  expected, 
though  it  lies  better,  and  has  certainly  the  richest  soil  in 


'^PV— w^^^ 


76 


OREGON. 


Oregon.  I  saw  bettor  specimens  of  potatoes,  oats  and 
fruit  trees,  in  the  montli  of  July,  than  wo  hud  in  the 
WiHaniotte  ^'alley.  Other  products  of  tlie  farm  were 
about  tlie  same. 

"  This  year,  the  settlers  will  raise  a  surplus.  Tlicy 
seem  to  be  on  the  progressive  list.  I  saw  the  machinery 
for  a  saw-mill  belonging  to  a  Mr.  Thomas,  and  a  grist- 
mill to  Mr.  Trask,  both  enterprising  men,  who  will  in  a 
short  time  have  them  in  nmning  order. 

"  They  have  a  si '  il  in  the  neighborhood,  and  tem- 
perance prevails  throughout  the  settlements ;  and  for 
aught  I  see,  the  farmers  live  as  well  and  have  things  as 
convenient  as  those  in  this  Valley.  Fatter  cattle  and 
better  butter  I  never  saw ;  the  last  named  bringing  three 
and  four  cents  per  lb.  more  than  this  Valley  buttt-r,  in  the 
Portland  market.  They  build  their  own  vessels  and  do 
their  own  shipping. 

"What  few  Indians  there  are,  seem  to  be  desirous 
that  the  whites  should  come  in  and  settle  the  remaining 
vacant  prairie  claims  and  be  neighborly — the  whites  to 
farm  and  the  Indians  to  tish.  There  is  an  abundance 
both  of  .shell  and  scale  fish  all  the  year  round ;  so  that 
potatoes  and  fish  arc  at  par.  The  Indians  have  but  little 
trade  otlier  than  fish  and  feathers,  and  seem  U>  be  exceed- 
ingly harmless. 

"  A  word  about  fern  and  rain.  Some  seem  to  think 
that  it  rains  all  the  time  in  Tillamook,  and  that  the  fern 
is  a  great  drawback  ;  but  they  are  mistaken.  The  fern  is 
easily  killed  by  plowing,  (of  which  I  was  an  eye-witness,) 
and  it  will  not  stand  tramping. 

"  You  will  see  from  tlie  following  statement,  that  we 
have  had  more  rainy  days  in  the  last  three  months,  than 
they  have  had  on  the  other  side  of  the  Coast  Mountains. 
The  rainy  days  are  for 

Salem,     in  May,  8  ;  June,  13  ;  July,  5  ;  Total,  26 


Tillamook, 


G 


12; 


4; 


99 


Difference,  4 

"  They  have  frequent  morning  fogs  which  rise  a  little 
after  the  sun  and  pass  away. 


COASTS   AND    HARBORS. 


77 


"  The  fo;;  and  tho  oiiormous  size  of  tho  wild  t  raii-apple 
trC(!s,  with  other  tnics,   Khnib.s  and  phints,  niuko  thu  iin- 

()rc,-.sion,  tliut  tho  fruit  Imsincss  will  ho  profitahlo  there, 
dr.  ('lark's  orohard  hids  fair  for  a  lar^^o  crop  next  year. 
The  soil,  tind)er,  wafor  and  diniato  arc  excellent,  and  if  I 
had  no  home,  I  know  of  no  place  I  would  sooner  20  to 
make  a  new  ^tart  than  Tillamook.  Unclk  Tom. 

"  August  10,  I80O." 

The  following  spicy  paragraphs  wo  clip  from  an 
editorial  account  of  a  pleasure  trip  to  Tillamook, 
written  by  T.  J.  Dryer,  Esq.,  of  the  Portland 
Orcgonian: 


"  Trip  to  Tillamook. — On  Monday  of  last  week,  wo 
cut  loose  from  tho  toils  and  cares  of  our  '  vocation,'  and 
took  passage  on  that  ohl  favorite  steamer  Multnomah, 
under  command  of  Capt.  Hoyt,  for  some  indclinite  place 
called  Tillamook.  AVo  reached  Astoria  early  in  the 
evening  of  the  same  day.  As  usual  we  found  that  an 
'  Oregon  mist'  prevailed  there,  which  lasted  daring  the 
next  day.  On  Wednesday  morning  old  '  Sol '  ventured 
to  show  his  head  through  tho  mist,  whereupon  we  took 
passage  in  a  low,  lank,  piratical  looking  craft,  under 
command  of  Capt.  Tom  Goodwin,  celebrated  for  being 
fond  of  sport  and  f/ood  living,  as  his  dimensions  will 
testify.  After  a  long  pull  against  wind  and  tide,  we 
reached  Lexington,  which  is  situated  some  miles  (more  or 
less)  up  the  celebrated  river  called  Skipanon.  /Vfter 
partaking  of  a  good  and  substantial  dinner,  we  took 
horses,  and,  loaded  with  Minnie  rifles,  double-barreled 
guns,  fishing  rods,  game  bags,  &c.,  &c.,  all  arrived  at 
Lattie's  ranch  near  to  what  is  known  as  Tillamook  heads, 
just  before  dark.  Immediately  after  dismounting,  we 
strung  a  fly,  walked  down  to  a  small  river  some  few  rods 
otf,  and  haided  in  a  salmon  trout  which  weighed  just 
fifteen  lbs.  This  being  a  '  fish  story,'  none  but  those  who 
choose  aro  requested  to  believe  it. 


78 


OREGON. 


"  Tho  next  morning  at  an  early  hour,  some  of  our 
party  proctUMlod  to  tho  Hca  beach,  (distant  lialf-a-niile,) 
sonio  with  fishing  tacklo,  to  the  river,  (which  liaving  no 
name,  we  christ'.'n  '  Lattio's  river,')  and  commenced 
operations.  Clams,  mountain  trout,  &c.,  eame  in  great 
al)undanco  by  breakfast  time  We  are  no  great  apologists 
for  gluttony,  but  tho  way  Messrs.  Ladd,  Callcnder, 
Goodwin  and  others,  stowed  away  tlie  product  of  the 
morning's  work,  ought  to  have  alarmed  the  finny  tribe -as 
well  as  all  sorts  of  shell-fish  on  the  Pacific  coast. 

"  After  a  short  time  we  started,  accompanied  by  Mr. 
Lattio  for  the  mountains,  in  search  of  elk,  bear,  or  othnr 
game.  Soon  after  reaching  the  liighlands  of  what  is  called 
'  Tillamook  heads,'  wo  discovered  abundant  signs  of  elk, 
bear,  &c.  The  rain  somewhat  took  the  starch  out  of  our 
ambition,  and  cooled  our  over-heated  anxiety  to  become  a 
'  Nimrod  '  of  tho  first  magnitude.  Suffice  it  to  say,  we 
returned  late  in  the  evening,  where  we  found  our  com- 
panions all  eager  to  bring  in  the  game.  Mr.  Ladd,  in  his 
peregrinations  along  the  coast,  discovered  a  large  sea  lion 
which,  Jonah-like,  had  been  cast  upon  dry  land ;  tho 
animal  would  weigh  about  1,200  or  1,500  lbs.,  and  was 
regarded  by  the  Indians  (a  small  band  of  whom  live  in 
tho  neighborhood,)  as  a  favorable  omen  of  a  full  stomach 
for  some  time. 

"  The  next  day  it  was  reported  that  a  whale  had  come 
ashore  some  eight  miles  north  of  the  heads.  Our  whole 
party  immediately  saddled  up  and  started  to  pay  their 
respects  to  his  whaleship.  Upon  arriving  at  the  place 
indicated,  we  found  a  small  whale  of  the  iin-back  species 
which  measured  forty-five  feet  in  length  stranded  upon  the 
sand  beach,  and  surrounded  by  all  the  Indians  in  that 
region — some  twenty-five  in  number.  The  Indians  ap- 
peared in  high  glee,  and  seemed  to  enjoy  the  excitement 
of  cutting  off  the  blubber,  while  standing  in  tho  rolling 
surf  up  to  their  waists ;  occasionally  the  surf  would  roll  in 
and  completely  cover  both  Indians  and  whale  for  a  minute 
or  more,  when  they  would  emerge  from  tho  foaming  surf, 
shake  their  locks,  and  with  knife  and  hatchet  pitch  into 
tho  work  of  severing  largo  pieces  from  the  carcass.     These 


COASTS    AND    IIAUMOItS. 


79 


Tndiiins  soiimcd  to  rcspoct  tlio  rights  of  all  to  whatever 
portion  (iui'li  rould  olilain.  Men,  woin(!»  tuid  chiliirun 
wen;  all  ('(|ually  aiixiouH  to  l)oconio  the  owners  of  a  largo 
Rliare  of  the  hjiihlier,  which,  as  fast  as  it  could  he  severed 
from  the  eanass,  was  drajjj^ed  upon  the  heaeh  nhovo  hi/^h 
water  mark,  and  deposited  in  separate  ))ilc-i.  Wo  learned 
afterward  that  uhout  one  hundn-d  and  lift)  gallmis  of  oil, 
taken  from  this  small  whale,  had,  witliin  three  days  after- 
ward, been  brought  to  Astoria,  and  sold  at  one  dollar  per 
gallon. 

"  Aflcr  spending  another  day  in  the  mountains,  wo  set 
out  for  home,  ina  Astoria.  At  Lexington  wo  again  took 
a  boat,  and  under  the  command  of  Capt.  Tom,  who  had 
the  reputation  of  being  a  skillful  sailor,  set  out  for  Astoria 
with  a  ten-knot  breeze.  Upon  arriving  abreast  of  tho 
the  town,  our  commander,  f(jr  the  purpose  wo  suppo.so  of 
exhibiting  his  skill,  attempted  to  (jlhc  ship  Tvith  all  sails 
set,  that  ho  might  convince  tho  daughters  of  mother  Eve, 
whoso  admiring  glances  were  peering  from  the  N^indows, 
that  he  could  capsize  a  boat  in  the  most  graceful  manner 
imaginable.  Tho  result  was  demonstrated  to  tho  entire 
satisfaction  of  all,  that  our  friend,  Capt.  Tom,,  is  as 
scientific  in  upsetting  as  ho  is  in  sailing.  After  indulging 
in  the  luxury  of  a  cold  bath,  wo  were  all  picked  up  by 
boats  from  tho  shore,  which  was  tho  most  satisfactory 
incident  connected  with  the  whole  trip.  If  wo  were  to 
say  that  wo  killed  an  elk,  it  might  be  thought  we  were 
telling  a  marvelous  hunting  story.  Suffice  it  to  say,  wo 
brought  a  portion  of  one  home,  which  several  of  our 
friends  have,  after  te.'^ting  the  flavor  of  elk  steaks  and  elk 
roasts,  pronounced  superior  to  any  animal  focjd." 

We  next  arrive  at  the  month  of  the  Cohihibia 
river.  It  is  in  north  latitude  40°  15',  according 
to  the  survey  of  Mr.  Evans,  and  longitude  124° 
west.  So  much  has  been  said  of  this  point,  by 
different  writers,  that  I  deem  it  unnecessary  to 
make  my  remarks  very  extended.     It  is  one  of  the 


80 


OREGON. 


most  (laiifforous  places  of  entry,  for  vessels,  on. 
tlie  Pacilic  coast,  and  scarcely  a  Avinter  passes 
that  there  are  not  one  or  more  shipwrecks  on 
Cjluinbia  bar.  Immediately  south  of  the  mouth 
is  a  level,  sandy  beach,  for  a  distance  of 
fifteen  miles,  called  the  Clatsop  Plains,  which 
gives  the  wind  from  the  ocean  an  undisturbed 
forc^  and  in  addition  to  tliat  difficulty,  the  bars, 
and  bed  of  the  river  near  the  moutli,  arc  a  body  of 
drifting  sand,  causing  tlic  channel  to  change  often. 
AVhen  the  channel  is  found  by  the  pilot,  it  is  a 
circuitous  route ;  and  often,  when  a  vessel  is 
coming  over  the  bar,  under  a  full  head  of  wind, 
the  wind  will  suddenly  cease,  the  vessel  become 
becalmed,  and  the  strong  current  of  the  Columbia 
will  cause  the  vessel  to  drift  seaward,  often 
stranding  upon  the  shoal  bars,  where  the  surf 
soon  causes  it  to  go  to  pieces.  No  approj)riation 
could  be  made  by  Congress  of  greater  valne  to 
Oregon  than  to  furnish  a  good  tug  boat  to  assist 
ships  over  the  bar.  I  have  known  ships  to  lie 
out  in  the  ocean,  outside  the  bar,  for  forty  days, 
awaiting  a  favorable  wind  to  cross.  Cape  Disap- 
pointment is  on  the  north  side  of  the  Columbia; 
in  1841,  the  channel  passed  near  tlie  cape,  on  tlie 
north  side  of  the  river  ;  it  is,  at  this  time,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  river,  five  miles  south  of  the 
former  channel. 

Next  comes  Shonhvater  Bay,  the  entrance  to 
which  is  fifteen  miles  nortli  of  the  Columbia, 
The    entrance    is   good — the    water  deep — but, 


COASTS   AND   HARBORS. 


81 


owing  to  the  low,  sandy  and  swampy  land  around, 
there  is  but  little  prot>::"tion  for  vessels, — there- 
fore, it  is  not  considered  a  good  harbor.  This  is 
a  beautiful  little  bay,  about  thirty  miles  in  length, 
from  north  to  south,  and  from  six  to  eight  miles 
wide.  Whclappa  river  enters  this  bay  from  the 
east  side.  There  is  some  beautiful  farming  land 
on  this  river,  and  along  tlie  east  side  of-thc  bay. 
•Shoalwater  Bay  is  the  great  oyster  bay  of  the 
Pacific  coast ;  it  affords  an  abundance  of  excellent 
oysters,  and  supplies  San  Francisco  witli  this 
luxury.  When  the  oysters  were  first  discovered, 
they  were  embedded  together  in  solid  masses,  in 
layers  of  two  and  three  feet  in  thickness,  and 
were  tliought  to  be  of  little  use,  as  they  were 
small  and  misshapen,  but  during  the  last  five 
years  they  have  been  torn  asunder  and  transplant- 
ed, and  prove  to  be  an  excellent  oyster. 

We  next  come  to  Gray's  Harbor,  in  latitude 
47°,  at  the  mouth  of  Chchalis  river — or,  as  the 
stream  is  commonly  called,  Chickalis  river.  Th^; 
entrance  is  easy — the  water  being  (hn-p  and  i\\(; 
winds  generally  fair.  The  channel  is  twomili-sin 
leni>th.  Tile  bav  is  nine  miles  lonjj  and  three 
miles  wide,  aid  the  land  borderinj/  ■.;»on  it  is 
generally  low.  The  Chickalis  river  afford-;  but  a 
small  amount  of  tillable  land,  for  a  iivcr  si's 
large  as  it  is — being  one  hundred  and  thirty 
miles  in  length.  The  Nevmukum  and  Skookum 
creeks  are  its  principal  tributaries ;  on  the  first 
lauied  stream,  near  its  liead  waters,  there  is  a 


82 


OREGON. 


]\Iissionary  Station.  The  Cliickalis  river  heads 
ill  tl'.c  Cascade  ^fountains,  and  runs  due  west. 

From  this  to  tlie  Straits  of  Juan  dc  Fuca,  there 
is  nothing  worthy  of  notice.  This  embraces  a 
coast  line  of  ninety  miles.  These  straits  are 
situated  in  north  latitude  48°  30',  and  constitute 
the  northern  l)oundary  of  the  United  States  on 
the  Pacific  coast.  The  Straits  of  Juan  de  Fuca 
form  the  entrance  to  the  Puiret  Sound  country. 
They  are  from  eight  to  twelve  miles  wide  for  a 
distance  of  jighty  miles,  when  they  begin  to 
expand,  both  north  and  south,  and  ramify  into 
scores  of  inlets,  bays,  <fec.,  a  full  description  of 
which  would  be  a  useless  task  to  nndertake. 

By  turning  south,  as  you  sail,  and  passing 
through  Admiralty  Inlet,  a  distance  of  ninety 
miles,  you  arrive  at  Png-ct  Sound.  Forts  Nik- 
QUALLY  and  Olympia  are  situated  on  the  extreme 
south  end  of  the  Sound. 

Puget  Sound,  Hood's  Canal,  and  all  their  bays, 
inlets,  and  channels,  cover  a  large  scope  of 
country.  It  is  an  astonishing  fact,  that  in  nearly 
all  the  inlets,  throughout  tliis  whole  region  of 
country,  t'le  channel  is  deep  enough  to  permit  the 
passage  of  tlie  largest  sized  ships — a  seventy-four 
gun  sliip  can  sail  with  safety  through  all  the 
narrow  channeb,  and  anchor,  or  calile  to  tlio 
l)each,  so  that  a  walk-board  is  sufficient  to  convey 
passengers  from  shore  to  ship. 

The  greatest  fisheries  in  the  United  States  are 
here — which  will  make  it  a  place  of  great  im- 


COASTS   AND   HARBORS. 


83 


])ortancc,  and  prove  a  source  of  untold  wealth. 
Cranberries  grow  on  some  of  the  low  lands,  and 
vast  quantities  of  tlicni  are  now  shipped  to  Fort- 
land  and  San  Francisco. 

The  quantity  and  quality  of  tlio  fish  arc  almost 
beyond  description,  or  calculation.  The  salin(jn 
are  very  numerous  ;  there  are  two  varieties  of 
the  salmon  in  these  waters — one,  the  connnon 
salmon,  esteemed  the  best — the  otiier,  the  hook- 
liillcd  salmon,  often  caught  in  eddy  water,  wliich 
have  neither  the  beauty,  shape  nor  delicacy  of 
flavor  of  the  common  salmon.  This  lisli  is  often 
the  only  food  for  the  Indians  during  tlie  winter 
months  ;  they  are  caught,  dried,  and  smoked  in 
their  tents,  and  then  laid  away  for  winter  use. 
Large  quantities  are  salted  and  sent  to  San 
Francisco,  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  other 
rimrkets  in  the  Pacific.  The  greatest  difiiculty 
attcnfling  these  fisheries  has  hitherto  been  in  pro- 
curing Halt  sufficiently  free  from  foreign  sub- 
stances ;  but  til  is  has,  of  late,  been  obviated  by 
the  introduction  of  salt  recently  discovered  in 
Soutliern  California,  which  is  said  to  lie  the  purest 
article  in  the  United  States,  and  can  be  sold  mucli 
lower,  on  the  Pacific  coast,  than  any  other. 

Oysters,  of  the  finest  (juality,  have  been  found 
at  San  Juan  Island,  and  near  Olympia,  in  I'uget 
Sound.  The  '•^  quabog\'^  and  other  varieties  of 
clam  are  found  in  great  quantities,  in  most  of  the 
bays  and  inlets  of  these  waters. 

About  the  shores  of  \'^aucouver  Island  a  great 


84 


OREGON. 


va.ricty  of  fish  arc  caught.  Aii^ong  tlicm  arc  the 
halibut,  cod,  salmon,  rock  fish,  i.nd  a  suiall  fish 
resembling  the  sardines  of  Europe  ;  the  latter  arc 
caught  in  large  quantities,  and  1  am  satisfied  that, 
if  prepared  in  tl.  •  same  manner,  they  would  not 
be  inferior  in  delicacy  and  flavor  to  the  sardine  in 
common  use.  The  Indians  catch  a  great  many 
dog-fish,  for  the  sake  of  the  oil ;  also,  a  small 
species  of  shark,  resembling  the  gar  of  the 
Atlantic ;  and  a  variety  of  excellent  fish  almost 
unknown  in  other  waters. 

The  country  around  Pugct  Sound — or  Olympia, 
the  seat  of  government  of  Washington  Territory — 
is  suitable  botli  for  farming  and  grazing.  As  I 
shall  have  occasion  more  particularly  to  describe 
this  portion  of  country  in  a  forthcoming  volume 
on  the  War,  I  shall  pass  over  any  detailed 
account  of  it  here. 

Vancouver  Island  lies  north  of  the  Straits  of 
Juan  de  Fuca,  and  is  British  territory.  The 
boundary  formerly  claimed  by  the  United  States 
was  on  the  line  of  north  latitude  54"  40',  but  difli- 
culties  having  arisen  l)etwecM  the  United  States 
and  England  witli  regard  to  the  boundaries,  a 
compromise,  by  ueaty,  was  efl'octed  during  Ja.aies 
K.  Polk's  administration,  by  continuing  west  on 
latitude  49''  until  it  strikes  the  center  of  the 
channel  forming  Vancouver  Island,  thence  bearing 
south-east,  along  the  center  of  said  channel,  taking 
the  circuitous  route  of  the  Straits  of  Juan  de 
Fuca  to  the  Pacific,  giving  to  England  a  strip  of 


COASTS   AND   HARBORS. 


86 


about  ninety-five  miles  in  length  and  from  thirty 
to  forty-live  mil^s  in  width,  of  the  most  fertile 
land  and  best  iisheries  of  the  Pacific  coast. 

Vancouver  Island  is  inhabited  l)y  numerous 
bands  of  troublesome  Indians.  The  island  can 
put  ten  thousand  warriors  into  tlie  field  at  any 
moment,  and  these  Indians  will  l)c,  for  many 
years,  a  source  of  annoyance  to  the  people  of 
Washington  Territory. 

There  are  several  small  rivers  running  into  the 
bay  at  dilferent  points  around  the  Sound — making 
it  an  easy  matter  for  vessels  fitting  out  for  sea  to 
procure  water.  The  whole  Puget  Sound  country 
is  surrounded  by  high  mountains — the  Coast 
Range  lying  between  the  Sound  and  the  sea  coast, 
and  the  Cascade  and  Wind  River  ^lountaius  on  the 
east  and  soutli.  There  is  but  one  wagon  road 
leading  out  from  the  Sound  countr}' — the  emigrant 
trail,  through  the  Natches  Pass,  to  old  Fort 
Walla- Walla,  which  is  barely  passable  for  wag- 
ons, althougli  it  has  been  constructed  at  great  ex- 
pense  and  labor.  From  Portland,  Oregon,  or  Fort 
Vancouver,  on  the  Columbia,  there  is  no  wagon 
road.  The  only  mode  of  conveyance  from  Oregon 
to  Puget  Sound  is  down  the  Columbia,  up  tlie  coast 
and  througli  the  straits  •  or  down  the  Columbia 
from  Portland,  a  distance  of  thirty  miles,  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Cowlitz  river,  taking  askifi'or  canoe 
and  rowing  up  tliis  i\aj)id  stream  a  distance  of  forty 
miles  to  tho  Cowlitz  Farms,  and  then  taking  it  on 
foot  or  on  liorselnick    the  balance  of  the  journey, 


sixty  miles. 


to  01 


ympia. 


86 


OREvJON. 


Tlio  Coiolitz  is  a  beautiful  stream,  of  considera- 
ble size,  but  the  rou,u;1i  mountaiuous  country  tiirougli 
which  it  passes,  and  the  many  rocks  and  slioals 
with  which  its  bosom  is  studded,  make  itoutof  tlie 
question  to  think  of  rendering  it  navigable  for 
vessels.  It  rises  in  the  Cascade  Mountains.  Go- 
hars  river  is  one  of  its  tributaries  ;  it  rises  in  the 
Cascade  Mountains,  at  the  base  of  Mt.  St.  Helens, 
(a  conical,  snow-clad  peak.)  There  are  two 
prongs  to  Gobars  river,  one  heading  on  the  north- 
east side  of  Mt.  St.  Helens,  and  the  other  on  the 
south-east — each  running  around  the  base  of  the 
mount,  forming  a  junction  on  the  west  side.  Two 
other  streams — the  Knlama  and  tlie  Catapoodle — 
rise  near  the  same  place,  and  run  a  south-west 
course  to  the  Columbia,  emptying  into  that  stream 
a  short  distance  above  the  mouth  of  the   Cowlitz. 


X. 


We  will  now  speak  of  the  Eastern  and  Middle 
Portions  of  Oregon.  Immediately  east  of  the  Cas- 
cade Mountains  lies  what  is  termed  the  "  Middle 
Section."  That  portion  of  this  section  through 
which  the  Columbia  river  passes  is  volcanic  and 
barren,  with  the  exception  of  some  valleys — these, 
however,  are  comparatively  few  and  small  in  pro- 
portion to  the  vast  extent  of  country  that  lies 
within  these  boundaries.     In  the  neighborhood  of 


EASTERN  AND  MIDDLE  OUEGON. 


87 


the  Dalles,  tlicrc  is  some  fine  farming  and  grazing 
land.  Between  the  Cascades  and  the  Dalles,  a 
distance  of  forty  miles,  tlie  river  runs  nearly  a  west 
course,  with  but  little  current,  and  its  Imnks  are 
formed  of  almost  perpendicular  rocks,  much  like 
the  walls  of  a  crater ;  the  passage  uj)  is  easy ; 
there  arc  now  two  steamboats  and  various  sail  ves- 
sels running  between  the  two  points/  The  rocks 
appear  to  be  basalt ;  they  are  two  hundred  feet 
and  upward  in  lieight,  and  in  some  places,  where 
the  current  has  beat  upon  an  overhanging  precipice, 
the  wall  has  given  away,  and  you  observe  a  beau- 
tiful layer  of  granite  suitable  for  building  purj)oses 
lying  in  a  solid  ))ody  hundreds  of  feet  under  its 
basaltic  covering ;  at  other  places  you  will  see,  in 
I)lacc  of  granite,  a  kind  of  conglomerate.  The 
sand,  along  the  shores  of  the  Columbia,  about  the 
Dalles,  is  loose,  and  drifts  easily  into  hills,  so  that 
new  hills  sometimes  form  in  a  day  that  will  meas- 
ure from  ten  to  twenty  feet  high. 

At  the  Dalles,  the  river  is  compressed  into  a 
narrow  channel,  not  more  than  two  hundred  and 
seventy-fivo  feet  wide,  about  half  a  mile  long,  with 
high  basaltic  walls  of  rock  on  either  side.     In  the 


*  Tlic  writer  can  testify  tliiit  these  stcaiuers  arc  coinniandcd 
by  noble  and  generous  hearted  men.  Cnpt.  MoFaui.axo,  of  the 
Wanco,  will  long  be  remembered  l)y  tlic  Volunteers  for  iiis  many 
noblo  and  generous  aets  for  their  comfort,  when  they  were  re- 
turning, fatigued,  hungry  and  worn  down  with  hardships,  from  a 
long  winter  eampaign.  The  same  remarks  arc  due  to  Captain 
Bradfoki),  of  the  Mary,  * 


88 


OREGON. 


distance  of  two  miles,  the  river  descends  some 
forty  feet.  Wlicn  a  freshet  occnrs,  tliere  is  a  rise 
liore  of  sixty  feet.  The  Dalles  Fort  is  situated 
just  below  these  straits,  on  the  site  of  the  old  Metho- 
dist ^lission.  This  ^lission  was  established  at  an 
early  day,  and  bid  fair  to  be  useful,  as  the  natives 
appeared  anxious  to  be  instructed ;  but  it  was 
abandoned  l)y  the  Methodists  at  the  death  of  Whit- 
man, and  a  Romui  Catholic  ^Mission  "was  started 
just  l)elow,  and  is  at  this  time  under  the  charge  of 
a  Jesuit  priest.  A  contention  has  arisen  as  to  who 
are  the  proper  owners  of  the  soil.  The  law 
having  donated  one  section  to  a  Mission,  the  Metho- 
dists claim  that  the  title  is  still  vested  in  them — 
they  left  their  claim  during  hostilities,  which  they 
do  not  consider  a  forfeiture  of  their  rights.  As  it 
is  already  a  place  of  note,  and  is  to  be  the  depot 
for  the  whole  of  Uj)per  Oregon  and  Washington 
Territories,  it  is  matter  of  some  importance. 

Tiie  country  for  a  distance  of  twelve  miles,  on 
the  north  of  the  river,  is  level ;  a  i)ortion  of  it  is 
sandy,  l)ut  as  you  approacli  the  high,  bare  buttes, 
the  soil  has  a  richer  appearance.  Twelve  miles 
back,  there  rises  a  high,  bare  mountain,  to  an  ele- 
vation of  two  thousand  feet,  covered  with  excel- 
lent grass  and  clover.  Passing  over  this  mountain 
you  come  to  the  Clicketat  Fa/Zr^/,  from  ten  to  thir- 
ty miles  wide  and  forty  miles  in  length,  of  excel- 
lent farming  country.  North  of  this  valley  ore 
beautiful  sloping  ridges,  covered  with  excellent 
yellow  pine  timber  ;  and  the  Clicketat  affords  good 


EASTERN  AND  MIDDLE  OREGON. 


89 


water  power,  and  fine  mill  jn'ivilcges.  Tlicrc  is  a 
(quantity  of  auriforoiis  quartz  to  be  seen  here,  and 
gold  has  been  found  near  the  Dalles. 

At  the  Dalles,  the  high,  perpcndieular  banks 
again  set  in,  and  continue  for  thirty  or  forty  miles 
up  the  river ;  they  then  become  low,  and  are  com- 
posed of  sand  and  lava  (or  ashes)  and  are  desti- 
tute of  vegetation,  with  the  exception  of  some  sage 
])rush. 

No  stream  of  any  importance  enters  the  Colum- 
bia on  the  north  side  from  the  Cascades  to  the 
AValla-Walla,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-five miles,  except  two  small  rivers  that  empty 
below  the  Dalles — the  While  Salmon  and  the 
Clickelat. 

The  Des  Chutes  enters  the  Columbia  from  the 
south,  twenty  miles  above  the  Dalles.  The  hills 
])ordering  this  river  afford  good  pasturage  of  grass 
and  clover — the  latter  resembling  the  best  red 
clover  of  the  States,  and  equally  as  much  sought 
after  by  cattle  and  horses.  There  is  some  good 
farming  land  on  this  river  and  its  tributaries  ;  but 
it  is  more  valuable  for  the  great  facilities  it  offers 
for  grazing  purposes. 

John  Dm/ s  river  enters  the  Columbia  thirty 
miles  above  the  Dalles;  it  affords  some  good  graz- 
ing country,  but  very  little  farming  land. 
•  The  Umatilla,  TValla-Walla,  and  31ill  creek 
may  all  be  mentioned  together,  as  being  similar  in 
api)carance,  and  as  affording  some  excellent  farm- 
ing land,  and  high,  dry,  healthy  locations.     Very 


DO 


OREGON. 


little  rain  i'alls  liore  during  the  winter,  hut  tliere 
is  sufiielent  during  tlie  spring  and  autumn  lor 
all  farming  purposes,  witli  oecasional  light  show- 
ers during  the  summer.  Pasturage,  in  this  part  of 
Oregon,  is  most  luxuriant.  The  Indians  inhabiting 
tliis  section  are  generally  wealthy — their  wealth 
consisting  in  horses  and  cattle.  Thousands  of 
horses  have  roamed  over  these  prairies  for  years, 
and  there  is  no  appearance  of  the  ])asturage  diniin- 
isliing  in  the  least.  I  liavc,  in  a  former  place, 
mentioned  the  fact  that  the  dry  grass  of  Oregon 
contains  a  great  amount  of  nutriment ;  but  occa- 
sionally fire  runs  over  the  plains,  and  when  such 
an  event  occurs,  the  horses  and  herds  have,  of  ne- 
cessity, to  be  moved  to  some  other  locality,  or  they 
would  all  perish. 

I  consider  this  the  most  desirable  portion  of 
Oregon.  To  ascend  the  Columbia  this  far,  however, 
it  is  necessary  to  make  two  short  land  trans[)orta- 
tions.  From  the  mouth  of  tlie  Walla- Walla,  wo 
ascend  the  main  branch  of  the  Columbia  (  Clark's 
Fork,')  through  the  Territory  of  Washington.  In 
speaking  of  the  Coast  and  the  Puget  Sound  country, 
as  well  as,  indeed,  all  the  left  bank  of  Columbia 
river,  below  this  point,  I  liave  made  use  of  the 
general  term — "  Oregon" — even  when  describing 
Washington  Territory,  and  shall  therefore  continue 
to  speak  of  tlic  two  territories  in  common,  as  com- 
prising what  is  generally  understood  to  be  the 
"  Oregon  country." 

The  Yakima  river  rises  in  the   Cascade  Moun- 


EASTERN    AND   MIDDLE   OREGON. 


91 


tains,  runs  an  oustorly  courso  for  the  distance  of 
one  hundred  and  tifty  miles,  and  empties  into  the 
Columbia,  on  the  west  side,  forty  miles  above  Walla- 
Walla.  Near  its  nioutli  tlio  country  is  mountain- 
ous, with  volcanic  apj)carance  ;  but  as  you  ascend 
the  river,  the  valleys  become  more  level,  and  tlic 
Iniid  richer — alTording  some  good  farming  country. 
Timl)er  is  scarce  until  you  reach  the  head  waters. 
Near  the  Columbia,  tlie  hills  are  covered  with  ba- 
saltic rock  ;  and  the  low  lands  with  alkali  water. 

The  banks  of  the  Columbia,  between  the  Walla- 
Walla  and  Okanegan,  continue  high ;  and  the 
river  contains  three  principal  rapids — Priest 
Rapids,  Biick/amrs  Rapids  and  Ross^  Rapids, 
but  tlicy  arc  not  such  as  to  obstruct  the  navigation 
of  the  river  for  barges  or  keel-boats.  The  river 
has  many  bends,  as  it  passes  through  the  mountain 
country. 

The  next  point  of  note  wo  reach,  is  Fort 
CoLViLLE,  a  distance  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
railcs  from  Walla- Walla.  The  intervening  country, 
throughout  the  entire  route  of  the  trail  at  present 
traveled,  and  as  far  as  known,  is  a  barren  waste, 
destitute  of  timber ;  and  travelers  are  obliged  to 
select  locations  in  order  to  secure  a  sufficiency  of 
gra.  s  fui'  their  animals.  Thirty  miles  below 
Fori  (oh  illc,  there  is  a  low,  Hat  country,  abound- 
ing in  iakcs,  around  the  margins  of  which  there  is 
some  good  farming  land.  Located  here  is  a  small 
settlement  of  French,  who  raise  wheat  and 
potatoes  enough  for  their  own  consumption,  and  a 


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92 


OREGON. 


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surplus  which  they  dispose  of  to  miners  and 
travelers.  They  own  a  small  mill  where  they 
manufacture  unbolted  flour.  These  French  are 
mostly  married  to  Indian  women ;  had  this  not 
been  the  case,  they  would  hardly  have  been  per- 
mitted to  reside  in  the  country  so  long. 

In  the  spring  of  1855,  gold  was  discovered,  to  a 
considerable  extent,  on  Pen  (T  Oreille  river ^  near 
Fort  Colville  ;  and  these  mines  will,  undoubtedly, 
prove  valuable.  Owing  \,o  the  hostility  of  the 
Indians,  however,  the  mines  have  not  yet  been 
worked  to  any  great  extent. 

Fort  Colville  is  near  the  boundary  line  between 
the  United  States  and  the  territory  presided  over 
by  her  Britannic  Majesty.  The  country  adjoining 
this  section,  in  the  British  Possessions,  is  rema''k- 
able  and  interesting.  It  is  an  elevated  region — 
lying  some  three  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea ;  and  in  traveling  over  it  you  sec  a  suc- 
cession of  lakes — some  of  them  thirty  miles  in 
length,  a  great  portion  of  the  country  a  barren 
region,  with  only  here  and  there  a  beautiful  grove 
of  fir,  pine,  or  cedar  timber.  Fraser^s  river  is  a 
very  singular  stream,  and  of  considerable  size  ;  it 
enters  the  bay  on  the  nortli  side  of  Vancouver 
Island,  about  north  latitude  50°,  near  the  Gulf  of 
Georgia.  But  as  this  stream,  and  the  country 
through  which  it  flows,  do  not  belong  to  the 
United  States,  we  will  omit  uny  further  remarks. 

We  will  now  look  at  the  South  Fork  of  Colum- 
bia^ more  commonly  known  as  Lewis*  Fork,  and 


EASTERN   AND  MIDDLE  OREGON. 


93 


still  more  familiarly,  abov< 


river ^  as    Snake  river.     It  rises   east  of 


the  mouth  of  Salmon 
Fort 
Hall,  near  the  Three  Titons. 

Fort  Hall  is  situated  on  this  stream.  North- 
ward of  Fort  Hall,  and  west  of  the  Three  Titons, 
are  other  throe  buttes,  known  to  geographers  as 
the  "  Three  Buttes,"  but  orten  confounded  with 
the  former  group.  North  of  these  mountains, 
there  is  a  river  of  considerable  size,  which  runs 
west  a  distance  of  one  hundred  miles,  and  forms 
a  lake  near  the  Buttes,  which  is  surrounded  by  a 
high,  hilly  country,  and  which  has  no  visible 
outlet. 

But  few  buffalo  are  found  west  of  this  point — 
the  surroundings  of  Fort  Hall — although  they  have 
boen  traced  in  scattering  numbers  as  far  west  as 
Fort  Boise. 

We  shall  pass  over  the  country  intervening  be- 
tween. Fort  Hall  and  Fort  Boise  with  the  remark 
that  it  is  generally  a  poor,  barren,  sterile,  burut- 
up  region,  showing  nothing  but  cinders,  burnt 
clay,  and  strata  of  lava. 

The  Panack  Indians  inhabit  the  country  south 
of  Fort  Boise,  and  the  Shoshones,  or  Snakes,  the 
north  side  of  the  river.  T'le  former  are  sociable 
and  friendly — the  latter  treacherous  and  bar- 
barous ;  the  Snakes  are  the  Indians  that  have 
committed  the  many  depredations  upon  the 
emigrants  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Boise. 

From  Fort  Boise,  the  river  runs  almost  a  due 
north  course  for  the  distance  of  one  hundred  and 


94 


OREGON. 


twenty  nilcs,  with  the  emigrant  trail  running  a 
short  distance  from  the  stream,  almost  parallel 
with  it.  About  sixty  miles  north-west  of  Fort 
Boise  is  Bvrnt  river,  where  gold  has  been  dis- 
covered. The  ground,  in  many  places,  is  entirely 
covered  with  quartz,  showing  plainly  that  rich 
gold  mines  exist  in  this  region,  which  will  be  dis- 
covered as  soon  as  the  whites  are  permitted  to 
prospect  in  the  country. 

The  celebrated  "  Grand  Rond"  is  a  beautiful 
valley,  situated  on  the  Grand  Rond  river.  It  is 
some  sixty  miles  in  diameter,  surrounded  with 
mountains  varying  in  height  from  one  hundred  to 
one  thousand  feet,  and  covered  with  luxuriant 
grass,  wiiich  extends  far  up  upon  most  of  the  foot 
hills  and  mountains.  This  point  is  some  one 
hundred  and  sixty  miles  from  Fort  Boise,  and  may 
well  be  termed  a  "  desirable  country."  There 
arc  many  points  and  coves  which  afford  excellent 
timber,  and  no  section  of  country  is  better  sup- 
plied with  excellent  water.  The  grazing  for  stock 
is  excellent.  The  bunch  grass,  or  wild  wheat,  is 
quite  abundant,  and  affords  nutritious  pasturage  ; 
it  grows  in  large  bunches,  three  feet  high,  much 
resembles  the  cultivated  wheat,  and  the  head,  or 
ear,  is  filled  with  a  light,  chaffy  grain,  but  little 
l)etter  than  common  chess,  or  cheat.  There  is  also 
an  abundance  of  clover — red  and  white — equally 
as  fine  as  the  cultivated  clover  of  the  States,  and 
having  the  same  appearance  and  odor — which  is 
much  sought  after  by  stock.    In  this  valley  there 


THE  CLIMATE. 


95 


is  also  found  a  small  herb,  a  species  of  lucrean, 
which  has  a  yellow  blossom,  and  a  rough  leaf, 
resembling  the  common  plantain. 

There  are  several  smaller  valleys,  on  other 
streams,  that  will,  at  some  period,  afford  good 
settlements. 

We  now  cross  the  Smoky  Mountain,  and  arrive 
in  the  Walla-Walla  Valley.  Here  also  we  find 
the  Umatilla  and  many  other  valleys,  making  this 
a  very  desirable  portion  of  Oregon. 

I  could  go  on  to  a  considerable  extent,  with 
description  of  many  curious  works  of  nature  in 
the  Middle  and  Eastern  portions  of  Oregon,  but 
they  have  been  so  often  described  by  others  that  I 
consider  it  useless  for  me  to  undertake  the  task. 

Before  leaving  the  description  of  the  country, 
and  entering  upon  that  of  the  Indian  tribes 
inhabiting  it,  it  will  not  be  trespassing,  perhaps, 
upon  the  patience  of  the  reader,  to  venture  a  few 
remarks  and  speculations  upon  the  climate  or 
Oregon. 


XI. 


The  mildness  of  the  climate  on  the  Pacific  ap- 
pears to  be  a  mystery  as  yet  unexplained.  I  have 
been  much  on  the  beach — along  the  coast — and 
over  the  mountains,  and  have  paid  particular  atten- 
tion to  the  course  of  the  wind's,  so  much,  indeed,  as 
to  keep  a  daily  record  of  the  weather  and  course 


96 


OREGON. 


of  the  winds  during  the  whole  of  the  year  1855. 
My  observations  liave  led  nic  to  form  a  theory 
upon  wliich  I  account  for  the  mild  and  uniform 
climate  that  prevails  there. 

The  course  of  the  Cascade  and  Rocky  Mountains 
is  south-west  and  north-cast.  The  Cascade  range 
of  Mountains  intersects  the  coast  near  Prince 
William  Sound,  in  Lat.  60° ;  thence  it  takes  a 
south-west  course,  and  again  intersects  the  coast 
at  San  Diego,  in  Lat.  33° — the  llocky  Mountains 
lying  still  further  east,  and  bearing  the  same  gen- 
eral direction.  Both  these  mountain  ranges  reach 
an  enormous  elevation,  varying  from  10,000  to 
18,000  feet  in  height. 

California,  Oregon  and  Washington  lie  entirely 
west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  proper,  and  a  large 
portion  of  this  extensive  territory  lies  west,  also, 
of  the  Cascade  Range,  and  the  Sierra  Nevadas, 
which,  in  fact,  are  a  continuation  of  the  former. 
From  Prince  William  Sound,  southwardly,  as  far 
as  the  mouth  of  Rogue  river,  the  coast  assumes  a 
concave  shape ;  an  air  lino  connecting  the  two 
points  would  traverse  twenty  degrees  of  longitude. 

The  Polar  Sea,  with  its  immense  ice  fields  and 
icebergs,  lies  north-east  of  the  point  where  the 
"  Cascades"  strike  the  coast,  in  Lat.  60°,  and  the 
winds,  as  they  rush  southwardly,  strike  on  the 
eastern  slopes  of  the  mountains,  wliich  act  as  a 
shield,  or  protection,  to  the  coasts,  and  the  country 
lying  west  of  the  Cascade  Range,  from  the  northern 
blasts.     On  the  other  hand,  the  south  winds  strike 


THE  CLIMATE. 


97 


upon  the  western  slope  of  the  mountains,  which 
act  as  a  conductor  to  lead  tlie  wind  nortlnvard, 
causing  it  to  sweep  along  the  coast  and  through 
tiic  valleys,  in  a  pleasant  breeze,  uniform  and  gen- 
erally warm,  both  summer  and  winter — not  sub- 
ject to  those  sudden  changes  so  common  cast  of  the 
mountains,  in  the  same  latitude,  as  what  little  cold 
wind  passes  over  the  tops  of  the  mountains  passes 
so  high  that  a  gentle,  even  current  of  air  is  experi- 
enced in  the  valley.  In  ascending  the  mountains 
in  the  winter,  the  snow  increases  in  proportion  to 
the  elevation. 


A    lable   showing  the    Course  of  the    Winds  and  the 
Condition  of  the  Weather  for  1855. 


MONTHS. 

8 

'5 

(-H 

10 
5 
3 
4 
6 
1 

4 
4 
2 
6 

b 

o 

Ss 

o 

SI 

■X. 

5 
5 
4 

5 

1 

5 
4 

3 

a 

2  14 
..    18 

2  22 
..  21 
..  24 
..  29 
..  31 
..  31 
..  l26 
..  |22 
..|24 
..    22 

J 
C 

5 
14 
15 

6 

13 

c 

24 
5 
9 

11 

i 

4 
9 
4 
9 

;z5 

a 

2 
7 
2 

2 

e 

•  ■ 

•  ■ 

•a 

c 

'7 

c 

t 

'9 

29 
31 
31 
26 
22 
24 
22 

s 

2 

4 

24 

B 

January   

February 

March    

April 

May    

June 

2 
2 

July    

August 

September 

October 

November    . . . 
December 

fry 

hvn. 
ke 


From  the  foregoing  obsci'vations  it  will  be  seen 
that,  when  the  weather  is  clear,  the  course  of  the 
wind  is  from   the    west,  or  sea  coast.     The  sea 


•»• 


98 


OREGON. 


breeze  regularly  rises  between  the  hours  of  10 
o'clock  and  2  o'clock,  each  day,  making  the  latter 
part  of  the  day  very  pleasant,  whilst  the  warmest 
portion  of  the  twenty-four  hours,  during  the  sum- 
mer, is  about  10  o'clock,  A.  M. 

These  observations  were  taken  between  the  Cas- 
cade Mountains  and  the  coast.  Middle  Oregon, 
or  that  portion  of  country  lying  between  the  "Cas- 
cades" and  the  Rocky  Mountains,  has  a  very  dif- 
ferent climate — the  air  being  generally  clear,  pure, 
and  rare,  but  little  rain  falling  during  the  winter, 
but  more  snow.  The  winters  are  several  degrees 
colder,  owing,  undoubtedly,  to  the  altitude  of  this 
region,  which  is  much  more  elevated  than  the  Wil- 
lamette Valley. 

I  may  here  remark,  en  passant,  thtut  no  medicine 
in  the  world  can  compare  with  the  pure  air  of 
Middle  Oregon  in  effecting  a  cure  of  that  terrible 
disease,  pulmonary  consumption. 

In  closing  these  rtmarks  respecting  the  climate 
of  the  Pacific  slope,  I  will  mention  a  somewhat 
remarkable  meteorological  fact,  which  is  not  gener- 
ally known,  outside  of  Oregon,  from  the  fact  that 
no  writer  with  whose  letters  I  am  acquainted,  has 
mentioned  it.  It  is  this:  No  thunder  is  ever 
heard  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 


INDIANS. 


99 


XII. 

A  MINUTE  description  of  all  the  various  Tribes 
of  Indians  that  inhabit  the  vast  extent  of  country 
west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  would  be  an  ardu- 
ous task,  as  they  are  very  numerous — some  very 
small,  and  others  numbering  thousands,  while  near- 
ly all  differ  from  each  other  in  many  of  their  cus- 
toms, and  between  scarcely  any  two  is  the  same 
language  common.  It  appears  almost  unaccounta- 
ble why  tribes  adjoining  each  other  should  retain 
their  separate  idioms,  and  yet  such  is  the  fact ;  it 
is  only  to  be  accounted  for  by  another  fact  fully  as 
strange — that  tribes  which  are  not  separated  fifty 
miles  have  little  or  no  intercourse  with  each  other. 


The  Coast  Tribes  all  live  principally,  as  I  have 
before  stated,  on  fish  and  fish  oil.  They  are  a 
lazy,  stupid  race  of  people — particularly  those 
south  of  the  Columbia,  but  arc  quite  expert  in 
their  mode  of  fishing.  They  use  a  great  many 
oysters,  clam  ,  and  muscles;  and,  for  their  sus- 
tenance in  winter,  dry  a  great  many  fish,  acorns, 
berries,  and  various  roots. 

As  the  salmon  ascend  all  the  streams  in  the 
months  of  May  and  June,  for  the  purpose  of 
spawning,  these  are  considered  the  best  fishing 
months,  and  at  such  times  the  Indians  all  collect 
upon  the  streams.  The  first  salmon  that  run  up 
and  are  caught  are  never  sold  to  the  whites,  and 


100 


OREGON. 


no  price  nor  persuasion  would  induce  these 
Indians  to  give  or  sell  a  salmon  to  a  white  man, 
for  a  period  varying  from  ten  to  twenty  days 
among  different  triltes,  from  the  time  of  catching 
the  first  fish — owing  to  a  superstitious  notion  that 
pervades  them  all,  that  the  Great  Spirit  sends  the 
salmon  annually  for  the  special  use  of  the  red 
man,  and  for  his  sustenance,  and  that  they  are  not 
designed  for  the  whites,  who  are  to  cultivate  the 
earth  for  a  support.  If,  then,  they  argue,  they 
were  to  sell  the  fish  upon  their  first  appearance  in 
the  streams,  it  would  be  treating  the  goodness  of 
the  Great  Spirit  with  contempt,  in  being  wasteful, 
and  making  light  of  the  offering. 

They  seldom  eat  a  salmon  until  several  are 
caught,  when  the  band  in  the  vicinity  are  notifi'^d 
to  assemble  at  the  wigwam  of  the  chief,  where 
they  all  go  through  a  ceremony  called  by  them 
"  Thanksgiving," — by  the  whites,  "  a  Dance." 
Previous  to  the  arrival  of  the  band  at  the  tent,  a 
quantity  of  salmoi  is  prepared  into  a  kind  of  soup  ,* 
which  is  set  out  in  a  large  earthen  pot,  in  which 
is  placed  a  wooden  ladle.  The  tribe  then  gather  ' .. 
in  a  ring,  around  the  pot ;  two  elderly  squaws,  at  '• 
the  head  of  the  ring,  commence  walking  around 
the  pot,  chanting  a  song,  while  all  the  members 
of  the  tribe  present  join  in  the  procession.  The 
medicine  man,  or  conjurer,  then  walks  up  to  the 
pot,  takes  out  a  spoonful  of  the  soup,  takes  a  sip, 
and  lays  the  spoon  back  ;  the  foremost  squaw 
then  follows  his  example,  and  is,  in  turn,  imitated 


INDIANS. 


101 


by  the  wholo  procession — eacli  individual  taking 
a  sip  and  continuing  the  march,  without  breaking 
the  ring.  Tlie  wliolc  performance  much  resembles 
the  "  green  corn  dance"  of  the  Chcrokees,  as 
practiced  by  them  many  years  ago.  This  ceremony 
is  kept  up  during  the  night, — the  ])er'.ormances 
consisting  in  the  beating  of  a  kind  of  drum, 
clapping  of  hands,  singing  of  songs,  the  men 
throwing  their  bodies  into  various  singular  shapes, 
making  use  of  extravagant  gestures  and  contor- 
tions, and  occasionally  uttering  loud  and  frightful 
yells.  This  ceremony  was  designed  for  worship, 
but  since  the  whites  have  become  numerous  among 
these  Indians,  the  latter  have  introduced  the 
music  of  the  violin,  with,  occasionally,  a  few 
bottles  of  liquor,  and  their  solemn  religious 
festival,  the  "  Salmon  Feast,"  has  degenerated 
into  a  scene  of  vulgar  revelry,  and  is  called  the 
"  Salmon  Dance."  The  tribes  that  are  most 
particular  in  their  observance  of  this  ceremony 
are  the  Tillamooks  (or  Killamooks)  and  the 
Chinooks. 

Often,  when  contemplating  the  tenacity  with 
which  these  Indians  cling  to  their  ancient  customs, 
their  conservatism  would  forcibly  remind  me  of 
the  tribes  of  Israel.  * 


The  Tillamooks  inhabit  a  portion  of  country 
south  of  the  Columbia,  including  the  T'  +?op 
Plains,  extending  as  far  down  the  coast  as  Cape 
Lookout,  and  east  to  the  center  of  the  Coast 


102 


OREGON. 


Range.  They  are  generally  low  in  point  of  stature, 
and  heavy  set,  with  broad  faces,  and  a  tendency  to 
corpulency  ;  have  but  little  action,  no  energy  to 
engage  in  the  chase ;  are  poor  hunters ;  have  but 
little  disposition  to  rove ;  and  live  principally  on 
fish  and  drifted  whales,  '  Ithough  they  gather  a 
few  berries  and  acorns,  and  dig  some  roots.  They 
catch  a  large  number  of  wild  geese  and  ducks ; 
eat  the  Hesh  and  sell  the  feathers,  now,  to  the 
whites.  Tiicy  catch  these  fowls  by  stratagem. 
They  take  an  earthen  pot,  or  a  basket  made  for 
the  purpose,  and  with  the  soft  resin  of  the  fir 
tree  besmear  it  all  over  ;  they  then  cover  it  with 
feathers,  giving  it  as  near  the  appearance  of  a  goose 
as  they  can.  An  Indian  puts  this  vessel  upon  his 
head,  wades  into  the  bay  where  the  ducks  and 
geese  frequent,  squats  low  in  the  water,  and 
awaits  the  assemblage  of  the  fowls.  He  then 
moves  slowly  along,  with  the  pot  upon  his  head, 
carefully  peeping  out  under  the  pot  to  observe  the 
movement  of  the- fowls,  and  taking  care  to  make 
no  hasty  movement  that  would  cause  suspicion. 
In  this  manner  he  stealthily  approaches  the  flock ; 
then,  carefully  reaching  his  hand  out,  underwater, 
he  gets  the  duck  or  goose  by  the  foot,  and, 
jerking  it  suddenly  under  the  water,  gives  it  no 
opportunity  to  struggle,  or  give  the  least  alarm. 
The  bird  is  held  under  until  it  is  dead,  when 
he  lets  go  of  it  and  it  floats  upon  the  surface,  and 
the  Indian  continues  drawing  them  under,  one 
after  another,  until  ho  gets  his  load,  when  he  sets 


INDIANS. 


103 


out    for   his   wijiwam.     Duriiif;   the  dusk  of  the 
cvoiiiii;^  is  the  l)('st  time  fur  this  numa'uvre. 


Thk  Chinooks. — The  country  of  the  riiivooKS 
extends  from  tiie  moutli  of  the  Columbia  ft  the 
Dulles,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  anc'  ninety 
miles.  Tlicy  are  short,  and  square-framed,  •■  ith 
hroad  faces,  flat  noses,  and  eyes  turned  obli(iU(iy 
u[(\.aid  at  tlio  outer  corners,  like  those  of  the 
Chinese,  while  the  resemblance  is  accidentally 
heightened  by  a  conical  cap  which  they  wear, 
similar  to  the  Chinese  cap  ;  it  is  generally  made 
from  the  bark  of  the  root  of  the  hemlock,  which 
they  i)lait  or  weave  very  skillfully,  so  closely  that 
it  will  hold  water,  immediately  after  being  made 
without  being  besmeared  with  resin.  Probably 
this  cap  was  adopted  to  protect  the  head  from  the 
heavy  and  frequent  rains  occurring  on  that  coast 
during  the  winter.  The  Chinooks  arc  not  as 
ingenious  a  people  as  the  natives  further  north  ; 
but  have  much  more  ingenuity  than  those  living 
further  south,  which  is  manifested  in  the  construc- 
tion of  canoes,  and  other  water  crafts ;  in  that 
particular,  they  are  very  skillful,  and  make  very 
neat  boats,  often  carving  the  representation  of 
any  animal  they  wish  on  the  bow,  which  always 
turns  up  very  high,  and  which  they  sometimes 
ornament  Avith  a  carving  representing  some  in- 
dividual— and  do  it  so  completely,  too,  that  you 
can  almost  point  out  the  person  it  was  designed 
to  represent.     Like  their  neighbors  of  the  northern 


■■ 


104 


OREGON. 


coast,  they  derive  their  subsistence  principally 
from  the  sea  and  river,  and  are  averse  to  wandering 
upon  land  ;  but  they  are  good  navigators  in  their 
own  crafts,  which  arc  small,  but,  owing  to  their 
lightness  and  the  manner  in  which  they  are  built, 
will  outride  very  rough  seas.  They  seldom  make 
any  hunting  excursions,  although  their  country 
abounded  with  elk  and  deer,  on  the  banks  of  the 
rivers,  before  the  settlement  of  the  whites. 

This  was  the  most  densely  populated  part  of 
Oregon,  in  the  year  1804,  when  Lewis  and  Clark 
visited  that  part  of  the  coast,  and  so  continued 
until  the  year  1833,  when  the  ague  and  fever 
broke  out  and  carried  off  four-fifths  of  the  popula- 
tion in  a  single  summer.  This  disease  was 
unknown,  previously,  west  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. But,  during  that  fatal  summer,  whole 
villages  were  swept  away,  leaving  not  a  single 
inhabitant.  The  living  could  not  bury  the  dead, 
and  the  traders  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company 
were  compelled  to  undertake  the  task,  in  order 
to  prevent  another  pestilence  from  completing  tiie 
desolation  of  tiie  country.  The  region  below  the 
Cascade  Falls  suffered  most  severely  from  this 
dreadful  calamity — as  far  as  tide  water  ascended  ; 
above  that  the  disease  was  less  fatal.  A  circum- 
stance worthy  of  notice,  in  this  connection,  is  the 
fact  tliat  the  traders — French,  American,  and 
English — were  not  afflicted  with  the  disease. 
The  population  which,  before  this  pestilence,  was 
estimated  at  ten  thousand,  does  not  now  exceed 
five  hundred. 


INDIANS. 


106 


This  tribe  and  the  Tillamooks  have  the  beastly 
habit — or,  rather,  let  us  call  it,  the  brutal  custom — 
of  compressing  the  heads  of  their  children,  making 
the  forehead  retreat,  and  causing  that  portion  of 
the  head  where  phrenologists  locate  the  reasoning 
and  moral  faculties,  to  present  the  appearance  of 
an  inclined  plane.  To  accomplish  this,  when  the 
infant  is  ten  days  old  it  is  strapped  tightly  with 
its  back  against  a  board  ;  a  hole  is  cut  in  the  top 
of  the  board  and  another  board  is  then  prepared 
with  a  hole  near  the  end — the  two  arc  then  tied 
together  at  the  back  or  over  the  back  part  of  the 
child's  head,  and  the  last  board  strapped  down  to 
the  child's  body,  being  made  to  press  hard  on  the 
forehead,  but  giving  the  head  room  to  expand 
upward  and  behind.  With  this  pressure  long  con- 
tinued— and  it  is  seldom  removed  until  the  child 
is  old  enough  to  walk — the  skull  finally  acquires  the 
shape  which  permits  a  straight  line  from  the  nose 
to  strike  the  crown  of  the  head.  You  may  often 
see  these  boards,  with  babies  attached,  leaning  up 
against  a  tree  or  bush,  outside  the  te  during  the 
day.  These  Indians  appear  to  be  very  fond  of 
their  children ;  and  if  one  dies,  they  make  great 
lamc'.tation. 

These  people  seldom  bury  in  the  ground.  I 
witnessed  one  burying  ground,  on  an  island  in  the 
Columbia  river,  a  short  distance  below  the 
Cascades.  This  island  is  mostly  a  solid  rock,  with 
sand  banks  surrounding  it.  Scaffolds  are  raised 
about  six  feet  high,  and  the  corpses,  having  been 


i 


106 


OREGON. 


robed  in  deer  or  elk  skins,  or  cased  in  mats  made 
of  rushes,  are  placed  upon  them.  J^ome  of  the 
tribe  assemble  at  the  burial  ground,  yearly,  and 
when  the  body  decays  and  the  bones  drop  asunder, 
the  skull  is  taken  up  and  carefully  placed  in  a 
circular  ring  around  a  pole  with  a  cross  on  it,  the 
face  turned  inward,  in  the  direction  of  the  pole. 
Perhaps,  if  I  sliould  set  the  number  of  skulls  I  saw 
on  this  island  at  one  thousand,  it  would  not  be 
exaggeration — although  the  stench  was  so  intoler- 
able that  my  stay  amongst  them  was  short. 

The  Clicketats  inhabit  that  portion  of  country 
on  the  north  side  of  the  Columbia,  east  of  the 
Cascade  Mountains,  around  Mounts  llanier  and 
St.  Helens.  They  have  but  a  small  territory,  and 
live  mostly  by  hunting  and  salmon  fisliing — as  the 
salmon  ascend  their  rivers  in  May  and  June,  and 
their  country  being  mountainous,  aflbrds  them 
abundance  of  deer  and  black  bear.  They  are 
excellent  hunters,  and  fond  of  the  chase.  In 
stature  they  resemble  the  Chinooks — they  arc 
rather  small  men,  mostly  weighing  not  more  than 
140  lbs.,  slender,  lean,  active,  bold  and  venture- 
some. They  own  horses  and  are  very  expert 
riders.  In  dress  and  appearance  they  are  more 
neat  than  their  neighboring  tribes  ;  when  they  use 
buckskin  for  clothing,  it  is  dressed,  and  made  up 
in  unusually  neat  style.  In  time  of  war  they  are 
very  daring,  as  was  proven  in  1855-G,  as  they 
were  mostly  enemies  to  the  "  Bostons,"  during 
that  war,  and  joined  their  neig]il)ors,  the  Yakimas. 


•k. 


INDIANS. 


107 


The   Yakimas   inhabit   the 
lyiii^^  cast  of  the  Clicketath 


region  oi 


country 
and  north  of  tlic 
Columbia,  from  the  Dalles  to  the  Cascade  Moun- 
tains; in   the   direction   of   Puget   Sound   for   a 
distance  of  150  miles,  and  up  the  Columbia  river  a 
distance  of  300  miles.     They  are  large,  likely, 
fine  looking  Indians — tall,  square  built,  with  bony 
features  and  high  cheek  bones.     The  tribe  is  a 
large  one,  and  can  muster  1,200  warriors.     They 
own  large  droves  of  both  horses  and  cattle ;  arc 
excellent    riders ;     live   partly    by   fishing    and 
hunting,  and  are  expert  in  both  these  pursuits. 
They  have,  generally,  a  bountiful  supply  of  dried 
salmon  cached  away  for  winter  use,  and,  in  case 
of  scarcity,  they  can  go  to  their  caches  (caves  or 
holes  in  the  ground,  where  they  bury  or  secrete 
what  they  wish  to  store  or  cannot  conveniently 
carry,)  where  they  generally  have  three  or  four 
years'  provision  ahead.    They  also  store  away  many 
dried  berries  of  various  kinds,  such  as  service  berry, 
huckleberry,  l)ldckberry,  raspberry,  and  also  many 
kinds  of  roots.     They  are  very  superstitious,  and 
have  many  singular  customs  among  them.     They 
have  never  suflcred  white  men  to  rove  over  their 
country,  with  the  exception  of  Jesuit  priests ;  of 
these  they  have  a  number  among  them,  and  many 
Roman  Catholic  Missions.     The  Indians  are,  in  a 
great  measure,  controlled  by  their  Romish  priests, 
who   arc   men   of    polished    manners    and  good 
education  ;  Avheu  among  the  Indians  they  assume 
a  lordly,  pompous  air,  but  when  in  company  with 


108 


OREGON. 


|!l 


.1 


whites  they  arc  easy  and  affable.  The  Yakimas, 
though  a  roving  tril)e,  raise  some  potatoes  and 
beans.  This  is  the  tribe  that  committed  the  first 
depredations  that  commenced  the  war  in  1855-6. 
Tlic  women,  amongst  this  tribe — and  nearly  all 
the  tribes  of  the  interior  of  Oregon — iire  looked 
upon  as  but  little  better  than  slaves,  in  fact  are 
treated  as  such.  Any  Indian  may  have  as  many 
wives  as  he  is  able  to  buy;  one  man  will,  at 
times,  have  any  number,  from  one  to  twenty — 
sometimes  giving  a  blanket,  and  at  others  a  horse, 
in  exchange  for  a  woman.  If  he  buys  the  daugh- 
ter of  a  chief,  he  has  sometimes  to  pay  twenty 
horses  for  her,  but  the  usual  price  for  a  nice 
young"  squaw  is  five  horses.  When  a  man  buys  a 
squaw  she  is  considered  his  wife ;  sQmetimes  he 
never  speaks  to  her  until  the  purchase  is  made, 
when,  should  she  refuse  or  hesitate  about  going, 
he  takes  a  hazel  sprout,  or  the  end  of  his  lasso 
rope,  and  whips  her  until  she  is  ready  to  follow 
him.  The  women  at  times  lament  very  much  at 
having  to  go  with  a  man  whom  they  do  not  like. 
If,  after  being  kept  a  few  weeks^  they  continue 
stupid,  and  he  does  not  like  them,  the  husband 
offers  them  for  sale — perhaps  at  the  same  price — 
often  at  a  sacrifice.  If  he  cannot  succeed  in 
selling,  and  the  woman  continues  with  the  same 
downcast,  discontented  look,  and  don't  willingly 
obey  his  orders,  he  begins  to  apply  the  lash  freely, 
often  causing  the  blood  to  trickle  down  over  her 
heels.     He  continues  this  barbarous  treatment  for 


\\> 


INDIANS. 


109 


a  year  ;  perhaps,  in  the  meantime,  offering  to  sell 
lier  at  any  price  but  finding  no  purchasers.  The 
])ersccutcd  woman  sometimes  runs  off,  and 
endeavors  to  reach  some  neighboring  tribe,  but  the 
merciless  husband  invariably  pursues,  and  if  she 
is  overtaken  he  brings  her  back  and  complains  to 
the  chief,  who  gives  him  permission  to  do  with 
her  what  he  pleases — adding  "  You  must  not  spill 
the  blood  of  one  of  your  own  tribe."  He  then 
proceeds  to  his  wigwam  and  tells  his  other  wives 
to  go  out  and  dig  a  grave  ;  they  immediately 
obey  him,  and  dig  a  hole  about  six  feet  deep  and 
eighteen  inches  in  diameter.  He  then  takes  his 
culles  (or  bad  wife)  and  puts  her,  feet  downward, 
into  the  hole,  she  screaming  loudly  all  the  while  ; 
he  pays  no  regard  to  her  cries,  but  presses  her 
down  into  the  pit,  and,  by  the  assistance  of  his 


other 


wives,  commences 


cramming 


the   dirt  in 


around  her.  They  continue  their  work,  until  the 
cries  of  the  unfortunate  wife  are  stifled  by  the  dirt 
that  is  thrown  upon  her  head  ;  the  hole  is  then 
filled  up,  and  "^  round  hill  is  all  that  remains  to 
mark  her  living  tomb.  The  murderous  husband, 
with  his  dutiful  wives,  all  return  quietly  to  camp. 


The  Walla-Wallas  inhabit  the  portion  of 
country  on  the  south  side  of  the  Columbia,  extend- 
ing from  twenty  miles  below  old  Fort  Walla- 
Walla  to  a  noint  some  distance  above  the  mouth 
of  Lewis  or  Snake  river.  They  number  about 
3,000  souls,  and  are  a  hardy  looking  race  of  people, 


T 

I 


110 


OREGON. 


tall,  square-built,  sliowing  great  muscular  strength. 
They  are  active,  good  warriors,  brave  and  daring, 
but  very  treacherous,  and  are  closely  allied  to  the 
Yakimas,  with  whom  they  took  a  very  active  part 
in  the  recent  war  against  the  whites.  They 
speak  a  very  harsh,  disagreeable  language,  giving 
tlie  sound  far  down  in  the  throat. 

It  was  among  these  Indians  that  Dr.  Whitman's 
Mission  was  established  and  appeared  for  several 
years,  to  prosper.  But,  in  the  year  1847,  the 
Doctor  and  his  whole  family,  with  all  his  assistants, 
were  murdered,  and  the  ^Mission  l)urncd.  The 
Indians  learned  much  useful  information  from  the 
Doctor,  and  some  had  advanced  so  far  as  to 
speak  the  English  language  well,  and  to  read  and 
write  ;  but,  as  soon  as  the  Mission  was  destroyed, 
and  these  educated  young  men  began  to  mingle 
again  with  their  savage  brethren,  they  became 
notorious  rascals.  Often  visiting  the  Valley, 
among  the  whites,  their  knowledge  of  our  language 
giving  them  character,  they  soon  commenced  the 
business  of  stealing  horses  in  the  Valley,  writing 
false  certificates  of  character,  and  the  like,  their 
information  giving  a  shrewdness  to  accomplish  dis- 
honest acts,  which  are  character!  ^-ic  of  the  whole 
nation.  Every  one  of  these  once  promising  youug 
men  were  caught  and  hung.  Every  attempt  to 
Christianize  or  civilize  this  people  has  proved 
ineffectual,  and  repeated  failures  have  proven  to 
every  person  acquainted  with  the  facts,  how 
utterly  futile  must  be  all  such  efforts,  so  long  as 


INDIANS. 


Ill 


tlic  Indians  are  permitted  to  rove  and  mingle  with 
other  and  savage  tribes. 

The  principal  food  of  this  tribe  is  the  salmon, 
which  they  take  in  large  numbers  in  the  months 
of  June,  July,  August  and  September.  At  this 
season  of  the  year,  the  Indians  collect  about  the 
falls  on  the  river.  The  fish  ascend  early  in  the 
season  to  the  head  of  the  Columbia,  and  all  its 
tributaries  (unless  it  is  some  river  where  a  per- 
pendicular fall  prevents,)  and  in  August  and 
September  they  come  drifting  down  the  river  in  a 
weak  and  exhausted  condition,  and  many  of  them 
dead.  It  is  at  this  season  that  the  Indians  pre- 
pare their  winter  food  by  drying  the  salmon  and 
stowing  them  away.  Some  of  their  hunters  make 
long  excursions  to  the  buffalo  country. 

There  are  several  other  small  tribes  living  down 
the  river,  and  south  of  the  Walla-Wallas,  viz.  : 
the  John  Days,  the  Tyhs,  the  Deschutes,  and  the 
Dalles.  All  speak  difie.'cnt  languages,  but  their 
manners  and  appearance  are  much  the  same. 
They  arc  remnants  of  other  tribes,  but  their  number 
is  small,  there  not  being  more  than  four  thousand 
souls  in  the  four  bands. 

The  Nez-Perces,  or  Saptans,  inhabit  the 
country  from  the  Paloose  to  the  Wallacacos,  about 
one  hundred  miles,  together  with  all  its  tributa- 
ries, extending,  on  the  east,  to  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. They  arc  supposed  to  number  6,000  souls. 
In.aDpearance  they  resemble  the  Indians  east  of 


1^ 


112 


OREGON. 


the  Rocky  Mountains — they  dress  better,  and  arc 
much  neater  in  personal  a[)j)earance  than  their 
neighbors.  Tliey  have  many  horses,  and  are  good 
hunters,  and  make  excursions  to  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains yearly  in  pursuit  of  buffalo.  In  stature  they 
are  large  and  likely — the  largest  framed  tribe  that 
inhabit  the  Western  country.  They  are  the  most 
lioncst  Indians  of  that  region,  and  have  been  the 
constant  friends  of  the  white  men.  Some  of  their 
young  men  joined,  in  the  recent  war,  against  the 
whites,  but  it  was  contrary  to  the  orders  of  their 
chiefs.  This  is  the  most  wealthy  of  all  the  moun- 
tain tribes,  some  of  the  chiefs  owning  as  many  as 
4,000  horses,  and  common  Indians  owning  1,000 
head.     They  also  own  a  large  number  of  cattle. 

The  Waillatpus  inhabit  the  region  south  of 
Walla-Walla  river.  Their  most  prominent  loca- 
tion is  on  the  head  waters  of  this  stream,  where 
they  live  in  close  connection  with  a  band  of 
the  Nez-Perces.  They  all  speak  the  Nez-Pei-cc 
language,  although  they  have  a  language  of  their 
own  that  is  spoken  by  the  old  ones.  This  is  a 
small  tribe,  numbering  not  more  than  600  or  800 
souls.  Although  their  number  is  small,  they  are 
looked  upon  by  other  tribes  with  respect.  They 
are  very  wealtliy,  good  warriors,  and  excellent 
riders.  Their  country  being  well  suited  for 
grazing  purposes,  and  affording  abundance  of 
excellent  pasturage,  they  own  large  droves  of 
horses.  The  chief  of  this  band  owns  5,000  head. 
They  are  noble  looking  Indians. 


INDIANS. 


113 


From  this  band  I  dosircd  to  get  a  1)oy,  ten  or 
twelve  years  old,  to  accompany  me  home. 
Through  the  assistance  of  !Mr.  Noblk  and  Mr. 
Thompson,  I  saw  a  fine  looking  youth  of  ten  years 
of  ago,  whose  parents  were  both  dead.  He  had 
l)cen  adopted  by  the  chief,  and  to  him  I  went 
and  made  known  my  desire.  He  would  not  reply 
to  my  request  immediately,  but  told  me  he  would 
give  me  an  answer  the  next  day.  He  came,  ac- 
cording to  promise,  bringing  with  him  an  inter- 
preter, when  the  following  conversation  took 
place  between  us : 

"  I  cannot  let  the  boy  go.  I  have  a  son  four 
years  old,  whom  you  may  have,  and  my  sister  has 
a  son  five  years  old — you  may  have  both." 

•'  They  are  too  young,"  I  replied,  "  I  want  the 
other  one." 

"  He  must  not  go !" 

I  asked  him  his  objection — "  you  give  me  your 
son,  why  refuse  me  your  adopted  son  ?" 

He  cast  his  eyes  to  the  ground  for  a  moment, 
and  then,  slowly  raising  his  head,  he  looked  me 
full  in  the  face  and  replied  :  "  I  am  the  chief  of 
this  tribe.  I  want  my  son  to  be  chief,  after  me. 
If  you  take  ray  adopted  son  home  with  you,  he 
will  then  be  like  white  man — he  will  read  and 
write — he  will  be  smart  man  ;  he  then  come  back 
here — he  be  chief,  my  son  only  he  Indian .'"  Say- 
ing this,  with  a  sorrowful  look  he  turned  and 
walked  away. 


114 


OREGON. 


There  was  a  tribe  called  the  Molallk  Indians, 
that  dwelt  in  the  broken  and  mountainous  region 
about  Mount  Ilood  ;  but  since  the  year  1840,  they 
have  become  extinct,  as  a  separate  nation,  and 
have  attached  themselves  to  otlier  tribes. 


The  Black  Feet  Indians  occupy  an  extensive 
territory  in  and  near  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
between  the  head  waters  of  the  Missouri  and 
Columbia.  They  are  the  confederacy  of  four 
tribes — the  Pagans,  the  Palls,  the  Sussez,  and 
the  Black  Feet.  All  these  speak  the  regular 
Black  Foot  language  except  the  Sussez,  who 
speak  the  language  of  the  Chippewas. 

These  tribes  are  the  best  hunters  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  their  occupation  being  confined  princi- 
pally to  buffalo  hunting.  Their  name  is  a  terror 
to  other  tribes,  as  they  are  brave,  daring  and  war- 
like. Their  number,  from  the  best  evidence  now 
in  our  possession,  is  about  15,000. 

The  Klamath  Indians  live  on  the  head  waters 
of  Klamath  river — designated  by  the  name  of 
"  Klamath  Lake  country."  Rogue  river  and 
Deschutes  river  head  near  the  same  place.  This 
is  the  Southern  boundary  of  Oregon  and  the 
Northern  part  of  California.  This  tribe  is  very 
warlike,  frequently  attacking  emigrant  trains 
on  their  way  to  California,  Their  object  appears 
to  be  plunder,  and  to  capture  women.  In  this 
particular,  no  tribe  is  so  mucli  to  be  dreaded  as 


INDIANS. 


116 


the  Kl.vmatiis.  It  is  a  fact,  that  they  have  some 
white  women  prisoners  among  them  at  this  time, 
and  bnt  little  eflbrt  lias  been  made  by  the  whites 
to  regain  them,  tlieir  immediate  relatives  having 
been  killed  at  the  time  of  their  capture.  These 
Indians  will  be  more  particularly  described  in  my 
History  of  the  War.  Until  within  the  last  three 
years,  they  were  engaged  in  constant  hostilities 
with  their  neighbors,  the  Shastas  and  Rogue 
River  Indians — their  principal  object  being  to 
steal  the  squaws  whom  tliey  sold  into  slavery  to 
the  Nez-Perces  and  Waillatpus. 

The  Panacks  inhabit  the  country  south-east  of 
Klamath  lake.  They  arc  a  wandering  tribe, 
living  on  game  and  berries ;  bold,  and  good 
warriors ;  often  attacking  emigrants  and  traders. 
They  are  not  a  large  tribe,  however,  and  arc  sup- 
posed to  number  not  more  than  six  hundred  or 
eight  hundred  persons. 


The  Shastas  formerly  inhabited  the  region  of 
country  about  Shasta  Peak,  and  on  Shasta  river, 
and  where  Yreka,  Cal.,  now  stands.  The  rem- 
nant of  the  tribe  that  is  left  now  mostly  dwell  in 
the  Siskiou  Mountains  and  vicinity.  They  have 
been,  to  the  gold-hunters,  a  very  troublesome 
tribe.  There  were  no  horses  introduced  among 
them  until  about  the  year  1840 ;  at  that  time  they 
always  conducted  the  chase  on  foot,  nnd  so  fleet 
were  they  that  they  would  frequently  run  down 


116 


OREGON. 


and  capture  a  fat  buck.  When  the  settlers  of 
the  Willamette  Valley  first  visited  the  g-old 
regions  of  California,  these  Indians  were  noted 
for  their  feats  of  activity,  as  it  took  the  best  of 
Oregon  horses  to  overtake  an  Indian  in  running 
tiic  distance  of  two  miles,  the  latter  having  a 
little  the  start  on  foot. 

There  were  several  small  tribes  lying  north  of 
these,  in  Oregon,  that  have  been  very  troublesome 
to  the  settlers  ;  but,  since  the  war  of  18o5-(5,  they 
have  all  been  removed  to  the  Coast  Reservation. 

The  Killewatsis  are  about  the  mouth  of  tho 
Umpqua ;  higher  up  on  the  same  river  are  the 
IsoLEL  and  the  Kouse  Indians ;  and  on  the  lower 
part  of  Rogue  river  are  the  Tatatnas — now 
called  the  "  Rogue  River"  or  "  Rascal"  Indians, 
from  the  fact  that  they  arc  the  worst  of  rascals, 
and  their  continual  hostility  to  the  whites  from 
the  period  of  their  first  discovery.  These  Indians 
will  bo  spoken  of  in  my  History  of  the  War  ;  and 
it  was  this  tribe  tl\at  killed  Capt.  P.  M.  Arm- 
strong, in  1853. 


The  Calapooyas  fornerly  inhabited  the  Wil- 
lamette Valley,  above  the  Falls.  Their  posses- 
sions once  embraced  the  whole  Valley,  but  as  this 
once  powerful  trioe  is  now  almost  extinct,  we  shall 
not  make  any  extended  remarks  concerning  them. 
They  differ  much  from  other  tribes  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  and  Pacitic  coast,  in  several  respects. 


INDIANS. 


117 


Since  thf!  first  acquaintance  of  the  whites  with 
tlieni,  they  have  been  characterized  by  a  mild, 
kind  and  gentle  disposition,  and  a  greater  degree 
of  intelligence  than  their  neighbors,  while  tlieir 
manners  and  customs  are  also  very  different. 
Their  appearance  shows  them  to  be  a  distinct 
nation  from  all  the  other  tribes  of  that  country. 
Their  national  voice  is  mild,  calm,  smooth,  gentle, 
sympathizing,  while  all  the  other  tribes  are  charac- 
terized l)y  a  disagreeable,  coarse,  harsh,  guttural 
voice.  The  Callapooyas  seem  to  have  been 
appropriately  located  in  the  Valley,  to  separate 
the  wandering  and  warlike  tribes  cast  of  the 
Cascade  Mountains,  from  the  debased,  filthy 
and  quarrelsome  Indians  of  the  coast.  Tlicy  are 
more  quiet  than  the  former  and  more  cleanly  than 
the  latter.  There  are  now,  perhaps,  not  more 
than  five  hundred  members  of  this  tribe,  and  they 
still  rove  over  the  Valley,  among  the  whites, 
living  in  tents.  The  Indians  cast  of  the  moun- 
tains often  make  a  descent  upon  them,  and  are 
thinning  out  their  ranks  from  year  to  year,  and  a 
disease  extant  among  them  is  rapidly  taking  them 
off;  so  that  in  five  years,  or  less  time,  they  will  all 
be  gone. 


The  mode  of  life  of  all  the  Indians  on  the 
Upper  Columbia  and  the  interior  of  Oregon  is,  to 
some  extent,  similar.  They  have  no  fixed  habita- 
tion, but  wander  from  place  to  place,  as  necessity 
or  inclinatiou  moves  them,  living  in  tents.     Yet, 


118 


OREGON. 


in  reulitv,  we  do  not  know  that  wc  should  term 
them  a  "  wandcrintr  people,"  althougli  they  cliange 
their  phicc  of  residence  nearly  every  month — lor 
the  same  month  of  every  year  finds  them  occupying 
the  same  place  they  occupied  the  previous  year. 
The  reason  is  obvious.  No  part  of  tlie  United 
States  ai)ounds  so  greatly  in  esculent  roots  and 
berries,  as  Oregon.  There  are  more  than  a  dozen 
difteront  kinds  of  roots  that  aflbrd  nourishment  to 
the  human  family,  some  of  them  very  palatable, 
and  mostly  attainable  by  little  labor.  At  ccrtair 
seasons  the  natives  derive  almost  their  entire  sub 
sistencc  from  these  roots,  and  as  the  differenl 
varieties  grow  in  different  localities,  and  arrive  at 
maturity  at  intervals  apart,  the  Indians  are  forced 
to  change  their  position  from  one  root  ground  to 
another. 

In  the  fishing  season,  when  the  Indians  all  flock 
to  the  banks  of  the  rivers,  you  can  see  tents  of 
Indians  in  every  valley  of  the  Columbia  where 
there  is  grass  sufficient  to  graze  their  stock.  The 
salmon  ascend  in  tlie  spring  and  descend  in  the 
fall.  This  causes  two  removals,  for,  although  the 
fall  salmon  are  poor,  they  are  taken  in  large 
quantities,  dried,  and  stored  away  for  winter  use. 

They  also  gather  a  great  quantity  of  acorns 
from  the  white  oak,  and  store  them  away  for  the 
purpose  of  making  bread  when  dried.  Tliey 
gather  a  large  amount,  also,  of  come,  or  bread 
root,  which  iimch  resembles  the  Irish  potato,  and, 
when   dried   an-3   powdered,  is   very  white   and 


T 


INDIANS. 


119 


mealy.  They  also  collect  a  great  many  large  black 
crickets,  and  grasshoppers  by  bushels  ;  these  they 
put  into  a  raorter  with  acorns  or  bread  root,  and 
pound  into  a  mass,  which  is  then  kneaded,  placed 
on  a  board,  and  baked  for  bread — the  legs  of  the 
grasshoppers  and  crickets  making  a  very  rough 
crust.  I  have  often  seen  them  encircle  the  grass- 
hoppers in  a  ring  of  lire,  by  igniting  the  grass  ; 
their  wings  are  scorched  by  the  blaze,  and  they 
fall  to  the  ground,  when  the  Indians  gather 
around,  collect  them  and  cat  them.  You  can  see 
the  insects  kick  as  they  go  into  the  Indian's  mouth, 
and  hear  them  crack  like  chestnuts  between  his 
jaws. 

These  Indians  are  in  some  respects  like  brutes; 
they  will  grow  fat  and  corpulent  in  time  of 
plenty,  and  lean  when  provisions  are  fjcarce. 
They  can  subsist,  however,  on  very  little  food. 
The  men  usually  make  a  long  excursion  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  on  a  buffiilo  hunt,  during  the 
latter  part  of  the  summer,  leaving  the  women,  in 
their  absencL^,  to  gather  '-oots  and  berries,  and 
prepare  them  for  winter  use.  Tlieir  clotliing  was 
principally  manufactured  of  bulTalo  robes  and 
dressed  deer  skins,  until,  within  the  last  few  years, 
they  liavu  purchased  some  dry  goods  from  the 
traders.  They  make  up  coats,  leggings,  and 
moccasins,  of  the  deer  and  elk  skins,  very  neatly, 
ornamenting  them  Imndsomcly  with  beads,  of 
which  tiiey  are  very  fond  ;  I  liave  seen  from  five 
to  ten  pounds  swung  round  an  Indian's  neck  at 
one  time. 


120 


OREGON. 


Each  tribe  has  two  principal  chiefs — one  to 
conduct  their  national  aflairs,  and  decide  all 
matters  of  personal  difference  between  members 
of  the  tribe,  but  who  has  nothing  to  say  with 
regard  to  war  matters — these  being  left  to  the 
war  chief,  who  conducts  ail  their  war  parties  and 
superintends  all  their  trainings  for  war.  They 
are  continually  training  for  war,  in  various  modes, 
and  are  very  expert  in  all  their  manoeuvres.  The 
different  tribes  are  gcnerall}^  at  war  with  each 
other.  They  would  be  the  most  happy  people  on 
earth,  were  they  not  constantly  in  dread.  When 
they  arc  encamped  in  a  valley,  you  will  always  see 
some  of  the  tribe  standi^  ^  or  sitting  on  some 
high  hill,  looking  carefully  in  every  direction, 
fearful  lest  some  party  belonging  to  another  tribe 
pounce  upon  them  and  carry  off  their  j)roperty  or 
their  squaws.  They  never  sleep  at  night  without 
a  close  guard  out,  around  their  encampment ;  all 
which  shows,  plainly  enough,  tliat  their  life  is  full 
of  fear  and  anxiety — you  can  trace  in  tlieir  coun- 
tenances an  uneasiness  and  a  lack  of  confidence  as 
to  their  safety. 

In  each  tribe,  also,  there  is  a  conjurer  or 
medicine  man.  He  uses  but  few  roots  or  medi- 
cines ;  but,  when  he  lias  a  patient,  he  makes  a 
great  noise — hallooing,  clapping  liis  hands,  beating 
his  own  l)reast  and  that  of  his  patient.  This,  lie 
says,  is  for  the  purpose  of  driving  away  the  evil 
spirit.  Wiien  his  patient  is  very  sick,  he  never 
ceases  his  wailings  the  night  long ;  and  if  it  bo  a 


INDIANS. 


121 


chief,  or  any  conspicuous  person  that  is  sick,  and 
he  dies,  the  surviving  chief  then  appoints  some  of 
the  friends  of  the  deceased  to  put  the  doctor  to 
death — a  fate  that  the  latter  submits  to  without  a 
murmur.  The  weapon  used  on  such  occasions  is 
generally  a  butcher  knife. 

On  one  occasion,  when  I  was  encamped  with 
my  surveying  party,  on  the  Umpqua  river,  a  band 
of  Indians  were  encamped  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river.  There  was  a  sick  person  among  them, 
and  tlie  doctor  was  making  a  great  noise,  which  he 
kept  up  until  late  at  night.  My  hands  commenced 
hallooing,  and  mocking  the  doctor,  and  there  was 
a  brief  pause.  Next  morning  the  Indians  came  to 
my  camp,  very  much  dissatisfied,  saying  that  my 
boys  had  killed  the  sick  Indian — their  hallooing 
at  the  doctor  and  making  fun  of  him  had  rendered 
him  unalde  to  keep  oft'  tlie  evil  spirit,  and  his  mind 
was  drawn  oft"  toward  tlie  boys  who  were  making 
sport  of  him ;  so  the  patient  died.  I  called  up 
the  hands,  in  their  presence,  and  told  tliem  to  give 
an  account  of  themselves,  at  the  same  time  appear- 
ing to  be  very  much  dissatisfied  with  their  con- 
duct. The  boys  justified  themselves  by  assuring 
the  Indians  that  they  did  not  know  there  was  any 
person  sick — tlicy  thought  itAvas  a  dance,  and  they 
felt  anxious  to  join  them,  V)ut  could  not  cross  the 
river.  I  gave  them  some  bread,  and  they  returned 
to  camp,  informing  me  that  they  would  not  kill 
the  doctor,  as  it  was  not  through  any  fault  of  his 
that  the  patient  died,  but  giving  me  to  understand 


122 


OREGON. 


that  they  would  prefer  taking  the  lives  of  my 
boys,  which  they  no  doubt  would  have  done  had 
an  opportunity  offered. 

Sometimes,  thus,  a  trifling  occurrence  throws  a 
traveler  in  their  midst  Into  great  danger,  espe- 
cially if  any  fear  be  manifested. 

"When  an  Indian  dies,  his  friends  gather  around, 
and  the  women  set  up  a  great  lamentation,  crying 
and  hallooing,  beating  their  breasts,  arms,  and 
faces,  pulling  great  handsful  of  hair  from  their 
heads,  and  appearing  to  be  in  the  greatest  distress 
and  agony.  While  witnessing  a  scene  of  this 
character,  on  one  occasion,  I  ascertained,  upon 
inquiry,  that  these  women  had  been  employed 
by  the  friends  of  the  deceased,  to  mourn  for  their 
departed  friend,  for  which  service  they  expected 
to  receive  remuneration  in  the  way  of  presents. 
In  some  instances,  the  friends  promise  the  mourn- 
ers to  perform  the  same  offices  for  them  when  any  of 
their  friends  may  die.  It  is  not  uncommon  to  send 
to  another  village  to  procure  professional  mourn- 
ers who  have  become  renowned  for  acts  of  cruelty 
perpetrated  upon  their  own  bodies  on  such  occa- 
sions. The  7)ien  never  cry,  no  matter  how  near 
and  dear  a  relative  may  die — it  is  considered 
"  not  brave" — it  is  the  act  of  a  squaw.  The  men 
seldom  weep,  except  when  enraged  to  the  pitch  of 
committing  murder,  and  they  are  certain  tlie  deed 
they  are  going  to  commit  will  result  in  their  own 
death,  or  when  they  are  appointed  by  the  chief  to 
kill  one  of  their  o^/n  tribe.     You  will  sometimes 


INDIANS. 


123 


see  the  executioner  and  the  victim  walking  arm 
in  arm  together,  talking  and  crying,  appearing  to 
be  great  friends  in  deep  distress,  while  tlie  former 
has  his  knife  concealed  about  him,  and,  suddenly, 
draws  it,  and,  at  a  single  stroke,  lays  his  victim 
lifeless  on  the  earth. 

The  various  tribes  of  California  aro  low,  de- 
graded, dirty,  filthy  Indians,  with  little  energy, 
living  principally  upon  roots  and  carrion,  no  dead 
animal  being  too  filthy  for  them  to  eat.  They  are 
generally  called  "  Diggers,"  from  their  principal 
mode  of  sustaining  life,  digging  for  roots.  They 
are  far  inferior,  in  every  respect,  to  the  Indians 
residing  further  north.  But,  as  this  History  is 
only  designed  to  treat  on  Oregon  and  "Washington 
Territories,  we  will  not  dwell  on  the  Indians  of 
California. 


The  Indians  living  in  the  extreme  northern 
portion  of  our  possessions,  on  the  Pacific,  and  in 
the  British  Territory ,  between  latitude  49°  and 
60°,  through  the  interior  of  the  country,  are  a 
warlike,  athletic  race,  and  they  were  once  wcaltliy, 
from  the  large  amount  of  furs  ilicy  sold  annually 
at  the  trading  posts,  no  part  of  the  Pacific  region 
abounding  with  beaver  so  plentifully  as  did  the 
head  waters  of  the  Columbia  and  Frazier  rivers 
and  their  tributaries.  Near  the  sources  of  these 
rivers  there  are  many  streams  forming  long  lakes, 
making  it  a  great  place  of  resort  for  beaver. 


! 


mmmmm 


124 


OREGON. 


Fort  Colville,  Fort  Okanagan,  and  Fort 
Spokan,  as  well  as  a  number  of  other  forts,  or 
trading  posts,  were  established  by  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company  and  American  traders,  for  the  pur- 
})osc  of  affording  safe  and  convenient  places  for 
bartering  for  the  Indian's  furs  and  peltries — the 
articles  of  barter  being,  for  the  most  part,  red 
blankets,  red  calicoes,  large  quantities  of  beads  of 
various  sizes  and  colors,  and  tobacco.  All  In- 
dians are  very  fond  of  tobacco,  often  refusing  to 
sell  their  furs  unless  the  trader  can  furnish  tlieni 
some  tobacco — they  must  have  a  smoke  before 
they  can  commence  a  trade.  The  traders  usually 
have  a  supply  of  this  luxurious  weed  always  on 
hand. 

There  exists,  and  ever  has  existed  a  great 
jealousy  and  rivalry  among  the  traders  of  this 
wild  region.  Having  cut  themselves  loose  from 
society,  for  the  purpose  of  gain,  they  desire  to 
make  speedy  fortunes,  and  leave  no  exertion 
untried  to  gain  their  ends  by  circumventing  others. 
Between  the  American  Fur  Company's  employees 
and  the  Hudson  Bay  traders,  an  ambition  has 
ever  existed  to  see  which  could  succeed  in  driving 
the  best  bargains  with  the  different  tribes  of 
Indians — as  the  whole  nation  go  in  a  body  to  some 
designated  point,  once  a  year,  for  the  purpose  of 
trading,  and  the  lucky  trader  who  succeeds  in 
securing  their  custom  makes  his  fortune. 

I  will  give  one  instance  of  this  ambition  be- 
tween the  trading  parties. 


INDIANS. 


125 


A  TALE  OF  THE  OREGON  FUR  TRADE, 

BY   PERCY   n.    ST.    JOHN. 

Some  years  ngo,  wlion  the  American  fur  company  and  the 
Hudson  Bay  traders  carried  on  a  powerful  opposition  to  each 
other,  in  the  wild  and  rocky  territory  of  Oregon,  several  little 
forts  were  erected  in  the  interior,  whence  the  commerce  in  pelt- 
ries was  made  with  the  Indians.  One  of  these  to  which  our  tale 
riifers,  was  planted  in  a  f;reen  and  secluded  valley,  where  pasiurc 
for  cattle  and  comfort  for  man,  were  as  much  as  possible  com- 
bined with  security  and  safety. 

In  this  spot,  known  as  Spokan  Fort,  dwelt  James  MTherson, 
the  owner  and  {governor  of  the  wild  locality.  MTherson  was  a 
Scotchman,  who  in  early  days  had  left  his  native  country  a  poor 
lad,  and  now,  hy  the  exercise  of  that  perseverance  characteristic 
of  Jiis  countrymen,  had  obtained  the  position  of  a  well-to-do 
merchant. 

It  was  about  two  years  after  the  establishment  of  the  fort,  and 
when  all  were  in  activity  and  bustle,  that  Edward  Ray,  a  young 
Louisianian,  obtained  an  appointment  under  the  owner,  and 
traveled  the  whole  distance  from  New  Orleans,  had  conveyed  a 
carpo  of  merchandise  for  the  use  of  the  company.  In  addition 
to  this,  he  had  taken  up,  to  rejoin  her  father,  Miss  M'Pherson 
and  an  attendant.  So  peculiar  and  so  long  a  journey  had  thrown 
the  young  people  mudi  together,  and  without  any  reflection  with 
regard  to  their  diH^ercnce  of  position,  a  mutual  att'ection  had 
arisen  between  them.  At  length,  however,  they  arrived  at  their 
journey's  end.  Kay  became  a  clerk,  and  Miss  M'Pherson  pre- 
sided over  the  cstal>lishment,  as  the  daughter  of  tiie  owner  was 
in  duty  bound  to  do.  Whatever  might  have  been  the  lady's 
feelings,  the  poor  clerk  sought  not  to  learn  them.  He  felt  the 
ditT'erence  of  station,  and,  shrinking  from  any  manifestation  of 
his  aspiring  hopes,  attended  to  his  business  honestly  and  dili- 
gently, but  without  showing  the  slightest  enthusiasm  for  the 
avocation.  Under  these  circumstances  he  was  considered  useful 
in  his  way,  but  failed  to  excite  that  notice  that  might  have  led  to 
his  advancement.  Reserved  and  taciturn,  even  his  mistress 
thought  herself  deceived  in  him.  With  the  excitement  of  their 
happy  journey,  all  his  energies  seemed  to  have  departed.  The 
truth  was,  that  Ray,  who  was  not  of  a  sanguine  disposition,  saw 
no  means  of  arriving  to  a  level  with  his  master,  and  allowed 
despondency  to  unnerve  his  spirit. 

AiH)ut  three  months  after  his  iirrival,  the  time  approached  when 
tlie  annual  interview  with  the  various  Indians  took  place, — a 
meeting  of  much  itnportance,  as  then  the  whole  fortutus  of  the 
year  were  decided.  It  was  usual  to  appoint  a  ])\{^^■v  for  the 
natives  to  camp,  with  their  heaver  and  other  skins,  where  the 
rival  traders  at  once  repaired,  and  whoever  otVered  the  best  price 
obtained  a  ready  and  profitable  market.     About  two  days  before 


1 


126 


OREGON. 


the  time  appointed,  the  licads  of  tiic  fort  were  seated  at  their 
eveniiifij  men!.  Plenty  and  variety  made  up  for  delicacies  and 
seasonings.  Buffalo,  deer-meat,  trout,  salmon,  wild-fowl,  all 
abounded  on  the  board,  round  which  sat  M'Pherson,  Ins  daugh- 
ter, Hay,  and  three  other  clerks.  The  whole  party  were  engaged 
discussing  the  good  things  before  them,  when  a  bustle  was  heard 
without,  and  after  the  pause  of  a  moment,  a  half-breed  hunter 
appeared  on  the  threshold. 

"  What  news,  Nick  V  said  M'Pherson,  who  recognized  in  tho 
intruder  a  scout  sent  out  to  learn  the  proceedings  of  tho  rival 
traders. 

"Bad,"  said  Nick,  advancing.  "Master  Sublette  got  ahead 
of  Spokan.  The  Indians  arc  all  at  camp  already,  with  plenty 
heaver.  Master  Sublette  buy  up  all,  but  him  got  no  tobacco,  so 
he  send  away  to  Brown  for  some  ;  then  smoke,  and  buy  all  the 
beaver." 

"  Why,  that  is  good  news,"  said  M'Pherson,  laughing ;  "  if 
Sublette  has  no  tobacco,  all  is  right.  We  have  plenty,  and  not 
an  Indian  will  sell  a  skin  until  he  has  had  a  good  puff  at  the 
pipe  of  peace.  So  up,  my  men,"  he  continued,  addressing  his 
clerks;  "you  must  away  and  out-goiieral  Sublette,  by  taking 
to  Johnson  a  good  supply  of  the  weed." 

"All  very  fine,"  said  Nick,  with  a  knowing  jerk  of  the  head, 
"  but  Sublette  him  know  a  trick  worth  two  of  that.  A  hundred 
Blackfeet  are  out  lying  in  the  woods,  and  not  a  soul  will  reach 
the  market  until  they  arc  gone.' 

"The  Blackfeet !"  cried  M'Pherson;  "then  we  arc  defeated 
surely.     What  is  to  be  done  V 

"  How  many  bales  will  suffice  f"  said  Ray,  quietly. 

"  If  Johnson,  our  agent,  had  but  one,"  replied  the  trader, 
despondingly,  "  all  would  be  right.  It  is  impossible,  however ; 
and  this  year  is  lost  to  me." 

"  By  no  means,"  said  the  clerk,  rising,  with  all  his  native 
energy  and  fire  beaming  in  his  eye  ;  "  Johnson  shall  have  the 
bale,  or  my  scalp  shall  hang  in  a  Blackfoot  lodge  before 
morning." 

"  Edward !"  exclaimed  the  daughter,  with  an  alarmed  glance, 
which  opened  the  father's  eyes  to  what  had  hitherto  been  a  pro- 
found secret. 

"  Are  you  in  earnest,  Mr.  Ray  t"  said  M'Pherson  gravely, 
and  even  sternly. 

"  I  am,  sir  ;  give  mc  Wild  Polly,  (a  favorite  mare,)  and  trust 
to  me  for  the  accomplishment  of  your  wishes." 

"  You  will  go  alone,  then  V 

"  I  will." 

M'Pherson  ordered  the  mare  he  valued  so  much  to  he  saddled, 
and  in  half  an  hour,  Edward  Ray,  with  two  bales  of  tobacco 
behind  him,  and  armed  to  the  teeth,  sallied  forth  from  Spokan, 
amidst  the  plaudits  of  the  whole  i)arty,  whose  astonishment 
regarded  less  the  perilousness  of  the  adventure,  than  the  charac- 


tl 


T 


INDIANS. 


127 


tcr  of  the  man  who  undertook  it.  Miss  M'Pherson,  conscious 
of  the  interest  she  hud  bctrnyed  in  her  father's  clerk,  hastily 
retired  to  her  chamber ;  while  tlie  father,  after  carefully  fastening 
the  gates,  and  posting  proper  sentinels,  lit  his  pipe  and  seated 
himself,  absorbed  in  reflection,  by  the  huge  fire-place  in  the 
principal  ai)artment.  Great  smokers  are  your  Indian  traders, 
who  in  more  things  than  one  resemble  the  men  with  whom  they 
have  to  deal. 

Meanwhile,  Edward  Ray,  after  leaving  the  fort,  rode  down  the 
valley,  reflecting  on  the  wisest  course  to  pursue.  It  was  some 
time  ere  the  young  man  paused,  and  then  a  sudden  hesitation  on 
the  part  of  his  mare  brought  him  back  to  consciousness.  Rais- 
ing his  eyes,  he  found  himself  close  upon  a  wood,  between  which 
and  a  somewhat  broad  river  he  had  now  to  pass.  A  single  glance 
told  him  that  Indians  were  near,  as  a  light  smoke  arose  amid 
the  trees  ;  whether  they  had  yet  discovered  him  was  a  matter  of 
uncertainty.  Ray  therefore  determined  to  make  a  bold  dash  ; 
and,  trusting  to  his  beast,  rode  at  a  hard  gallop  along  the  tikirt 
of  the  forest.  The  moment  he  neared  the  trees,  his  hand  upon 
his  rifle,  ho  listened  with  the  most  anxious  attention.  Not  a 
sound,  save  the  clatter  of  his  unshod  mare,  was  heard,  until  he 
had  half-cleared  the  diyigcrous  cover.  Then  came  the  sound  of 
pursuit,  and  then  the  Blackfcet  war-whoop,  with  the  crack  of 
rifles.  His  enemies  were  in  full  chase.  Now  it  was  that  the  gal- 
lant steed  put  forth  her  energy,  and  now  it  was  that  Ray's  spirit 
rose  and  he  felt  himself  a  man,  with  all  a  man's  energy,  and  also 
with  all  a  man's  love  of  life.  Looking  back,  he  saw  the  wild 
Indian  warriors  coming  fust  toward  him,  but  still  not  gaining 
ground  ;  and  he  felt  Fure  did  ho  loosen  his  precious  merchandise, 
and  give  it  up  to  the  pursuers,  that  he  could  with  ease  outstrip 
them.  But  he  was  resolved  to  serve  his  master's  interests,  and 
he  urged  his  laden  steed  to  her  utmost.  An  hour  passed  in  this 
mannor.  The  howling,  whooping  Indians,  half  a  hundred  in 
number,  galloped  madly  after  him,  their  long  l/lack  hair  stream- 
ing to  the  wind. 

Before  him  lay  a  cane-brake,  where  the  reeds  rose  ten  feet,  dry, 
parched  and  crackling.  Through  this  lay  the  path  of  the  fugi- 
tive. Ray  looked  forward  to  the  welcome  shelter,  determined  to 
make  a  stand  ;  and  there,  at  the  very  entrance,  stood,  mounted 
on  a  tall  horse,  an  opposing  foe.  Clutching  bis  pistol,  the  clerk 
clenched  his  teeth,  and  rode  madly  against  this  new  opponent, 
who,  just  in  time  to  save  himself,  cried,  "  All  right,  saucy  Nick  !" 
There  was  no  time  for  greeting,  and  away  they  scampered 
through  :he  cane-brake,  not  before,  however,  the  half-breed  had 
cast  a  brand  amid  the  reeds. 

"  Away!"  cried  Nick,  urging  his  steed  to  the  utmost,  "the fire 
spirit  is  awake  ;  he  rides  in  yonder  cloud  !  Away,  or  our  bones 
will  be  mingled  with  those  of  the  red  men  upon  this  plain." 

"  But  Nick,"  said  Ray,  as  side  by  side  they  dashed  across  the 
prairie,  "  how  met  we  i '  1  left  you  at  the  fort." 


I 


128 


OREGON. 


I'<,  I 


"  No,  Nick  start  linlf  nn  lioiir  licfoic.  Wouldn't  let  bravo 
warrior  {;o  by  liimsclf.  Found  liim  cIuisimI  by  Indians — Black- 
foe  t ;  but  Indian  no  take  Master  Kay.  Nick  know  trick  wortli 
two  of  that.  But  liusti !"  he  iiddcd,  as  be  f^aincd  the  entrance 
of  a  valley,  "the  hoofs  of  our  hor.scs  have  walked  the  great  lire 
spirit;  but  we  arc  not  yet  free.     Blackfcet  in  valley." 

At  this  intimation  of  their  bcintr  nj^ain  about  to  meet  a  party 
of  their  enemies.  Hay  ])rc|iarc(l  his  arms  once  more,  and  then, 
patting  the  neck  of  his  gallant  steed,  urged  her  at  a  rattling  pace 
tlirough  the  valley.  A  flusli  and  t.'ic  ^rack  of  guns  lired  in  haste, 
showed  that  Nick  was  not  mistaken  ;  but  giving  a  volley  in 
reply,  and  without  pausing  to  discover  its  ctl'ect,  the  pair  gal- 
loped onward,  and  once  more  emerged  on  the  plain.  Nick  now 
led  the  way,  and  diverging  from  the  ordimiry  route,  entered  iX 
stream,  the  course  of  which  they  followed  slowly  for  some  time. 
At  length,  satisfied  that  ho  had  batlled  pursuit,  the  halflirecd 
once  more  entered  upon  the  usual  track,  and  before  daylight, 
reached  the  great  camp,  where  the  Indians  had  pitched  their 
tents  with  a  view  to  tratlic  with  the  rival  white  men. 

To  the  right  were  the  wagons  of  Sublette  ;  to  the  left,  those  of 
Johnson,  MThcrson's  agent.  They  found  -the  latter  in  very 
bad  spirits,  as  his  rival  was  expected  to  receive  the  necessary  sup 
ply  of  tobacco  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon,  when  all  chanco 
for  Spokan  would  have  been  over.  As,  however,  l{ay  detailed 
the  object  of  his  journey,  and  the  success  which  had  attended  it, 
the  agent's  eye  glistened,  and  at  length  he  exclaimed  with  a 
chuckle,  "  Bravo,  Mr.  Bay ;  I  should  like  to  be  in  your  shoes  ; 
for  if  you  haven't  made  old  Mac's  forttme,  mymmic  is  not  John- 
son. Such  prime  beavers  you  never  saw.  By  the  immortal 
head  of  General  Jackson,  but  you  arc  a  lucky  dog!"  Bay 
expressed  his  satisfaction  at  having  been  of  such  great  service, 
and  after  a  hearty  meal,  the  traders  began  their  day's  work. 
First  the  chiefs  were  summoned  and  i<<rjiU'(l,  to  the  consternation 
of  Sublette,  with  a  liberal  and  plentiful  smoke.  Seated  around 
the  agent's  tent,  the  Spokan,  Kamloops,  Chaudieves,  Hiiuipoil, 
and  other  Indians,  enjoyed  with  unmixed  satisfaction,  what  to 
them  is  a  most  ])recious  luxury.  The  agent  was  most  libeial  of 
the  weed  ;  not  a  single  Indian  was  forgotten  ;  and  when  the  bar- 
ter commenced,  the  gratilicd  abori^-'ines  testified  their  delight  by 
disposing  of  their  skins  in  an  c(|i.,dly  liberal  manner.  Such, 
indeed,  was  the  activity  of  the  Spokan  agent,  and  of  his  assist- 
ant Bay,  that  when  Sublette  received  at  length  his  supply  of 
tobacco,  not  a  beaver  nor  even  a  skunk  skin  remained  for  which 
he  could  trade.  Well  aware  that  the  Blackfcet,  when  once  dis- 
covered, would  draw  off,  Bay,  after  a  brief  hour  of  repose,  bor- 
rowed a  fresh  horse,  and  hurried  back  toward  the  fort. 

His  journey  was  tedious  in  the  extreme,  for  the  smouldering 
grass  rendered  it  as  unsafe  as  it  was  disagreeable.  At  length, 
however,  the  young  clerk,  to  whom  had  returned  much  of  his 
former  despondent  feeling,  came  once  more  in  sight  of  Spokan, 


INDIANS. 


129 


where  lio  was  received  witli  open  arms,  as  was  Nick  wiio  accom- 
paiiieil  him. 

M'Plicrson,  cngcr  to  lenrn  the  result  of  tiic  vounK  man's  jour- 
ney, (hew  liiiu  to  his  couiitiuK-liouse,  and  motioninj;  liim  to  a 
scat,  installed  himself  at  his  ludj^cr,  pen  in  hand.  Kay  l)e|,'an  his 
story,  and  to  the  cvicUjnt  surprise  of  the  merchant,  related  tiio 
dangers  which  had  hefallen  him,  and  the  manner  in  which  he  had 
escaped.  At  lenyth  ho  came  to  that  part  of  ids  story,  which 
referred  to  tiic  extraordinary  quantity  and  exc  llcncc  of  the  bea- 
vers which  liad  heen  obtained  by  means  of  his  bold  undertaking. 

"  Know,  hid,"  said  old  M'l'hcrson,  quite  delighted,  "  that  you 
have  brought  me  the  best  year's  trade  that  I  have  had  yet.  Be- 
sides, man,  I  count  it  no  small  thing  to  have  beat  Captain  Sub- 
lette, the  most  cunning  trader  on  the  frontier." 

"  I  am  very  much  gratified,"  said  liay,  "that  I  have  been  in 
any  way  instrumental  in  serving  you," 

"Ah,  that  is  all  very  well,"  interrupted  MTherson,  pushing 
his  spectacles  from  their  proper  position  to  one  above  his  eyes, 
"  but  just  tell  me  frankly,  Mr.  Kay,  why  you,  who  arc  generally 
so  slow  and  cold,  should  all  of  a  sudden  take  so  much  trouble  to 
do  me  a  service  V 

"  It  was  the  first  time,"  replied  Kay,  "  that  I  ever  had  an 
opportunity  of  doing  what  others  would  not  do." 

"  Oh,"  said  the  trader,  still  more  enlightened,  "  and  do  you  not 
expect  any  share  in  the  great  advantage  of  last  night's  adven- 
ture V 

"  That  I  leave  to  vou,  sir." 

"Now,  Mr.  Kay,  said  the  trader  with  a  smile,  "  I  wish  you 
would  be  thoroughly  frank  with  me.  I  can  see  plainl}'  enough 
that  you  have  had  some  reason  for  your  constant  lack  of  energy, 
and  some  equally  good  reason  for  suddenly,  wlien  you  could 
really  serve  me,  risking  your  life  to  do  so.  I  say  again,  speak 
out.  Have  you  any  conduct  of  mine  of  which  to  complain  ?  Is 
your  salary  too  small '!  Your  chances  of  promotion — do  they 
seem  too  remote  ?  You  hiwc  doubled  my  fortune ;  let  me  do 
you  some  service  in  return." 

"  My  ambition,  sir,  has  been  to  share  your  good  fortune  ;  and 
did  my  lio|)cs  extend  as  far  as  my  wishes,  I  might  say  I  have 
hoped  one  day  to  possess  all  you  now  hold."  This  was  said 
with  a  lurking  smile  that  still  more  puzzled  M'Pherson. 

"  What !  would  rou  be  a  ])artncr,  young  man  !  The  idea  is  a 
bold  one  ;  but  I  see  no  insuperable  bar  to  it." 

"  Sir,"  said  Kay,  hurriedly,  "  I  am  content  to  be  your  clerk,  if 
you  will,  all  my  life  ;  but  you  have  a  daughter  without  whom 
wealth  would  be  contemptible,  and  ])overty  insufferable." 

"  Wheugh  !"  cried  the  astonished  merchant,  "  sits  the  wind  in 
that  quarter  ?     And  pray,  sir,  does  my  daughter  know  of  this  V 

"  She  does.  You  will  recollect  our  long  journey,  when  we 
were  insepiirable  companions  ?" 

"  Oh,  1 1  collect  all;  and  prav  does  my  daughter  encourage 
you  V 


130 


OREfJON. 


"  Sho  will  Rpcftk  for  herself,  dear  father,"  oxclnimed  tlio  young 
pirl,  who  ontcrinj,',  hiul  caiii^^lit  the  iin|i()rt  of  tlii'ir  coiiversalion. 
"  I  (lid  PiiconraK*!  Iiiin  hecaiine  1  t.h()u;,'lit  ho  desccvcd  to  he  your 
Roii.  Of  late  Mr.  Hay  had  almost  induced  uw  to  regret  my  reso- 
lution ;  hut  his  reecnt  d'lvotion  in  your  service  convinced  nio 
that  lie  was  still  the  Edward  Ilay  1  had  traveled  with  from  New 
Orleans." 

"  And  so,"  said  the  old  man,  pettishly,  "  yoa  have  arranged  it 
all,  it  seems,  and  1  am  to  hav(s  no  voice  or  will  V 

*'  VVc  have  arrauL-id  nothing,  dear  father,  and  leave  it  all  to 
you." 

It  will  readily  he  helieved  that  Kdward  Hay  and  MaryM'Pher- 
son  had  no  dilHculty  in  talking  over  the  kind-hearted  trader.  In 
a  few  weeks  after,  Kay  was  not  onlv  son-in-law  hut  partner  at 
Spokan ;  and  I  l)elieve  that  none  of  the  parties  have  haU  yet  any 
cause  to  regret  the  "  midnight  ride  "  over  the  bluflf-surroundcd 
prairies  of  tlio  wild  Oregon. 


r 


m 


1^ 


The  Pischous  inhabit  a  small  ])ortion  of  country 
on  the  west  or  north  side  of  the  Columbia, 
between  Fort  Okanagan  and  Priest  Rapids.  This 
region  of  country  is  destitute,  almost,  of  both 
roots  and  game,  and  the  natives  who  wander  over 
its  barren  wastes  are  looked  upon,  by  other  tribes, 
as  a  poor,  beggarly  race,  and  are  considered  great 
thieves.  They  procure  but  little  game,  and,  as 
they  have  to  dcpoud  upon  the  skins  of  animals  for 
clothing,  many  of  them  are  unable  to  procure 
clothing,  and  therefore  go  entirely  naked.  They 
are  very  shy  and  timid.  Often,  when  a  white 
man  approaches  a  tent,  the  inmates  will  run  and 
hide  in  the  nearest  chaparral,  leaving  the  white 
man  in  possession  of  their  wigwam,  and  will 
remain  there  until  satisfied  that  the  intruder  has 
no  evil  intention,  when,  first  one  and  then 
another,  they  will  slowly  return,  until  they  all 
como  back. 


INDIANS. 


131 


Tiin  Skitsuish,  or  C(EUR  d'Alene  Indians  live 
aruiiiul  C(EiJii  d'Alknk  Lake,  iuid  are  le^^s  wan- 
dering in  tiieir  haltits  than  their  neighljuriiig 
tribes.  As  no  sahnon  ascend  the  Spokan  liver 
al)ove  the  Ilapids,  the  Skitsuish  sul)sist  mostly 
on  roots,  small  fish  and  small  game,  as  they 
seldom  visit  the  Rocky  Monntains  in  pursuit  of 
bufl'alo.  Thoy  raise,  at  the  present  time,  con- 
siderable quantities  of  potatoes  and  peas,  and 
some  of  them  raise  wheat,  which  they  bed  and 
prepare  as  hominy,  also  some  squashes.  I  think 
corn  would  do  well  there.  Some  of  them  have 
small  houses,  or  pole  tents,  and  appear  to  be  per- 
manently located.  In  personal  habits  they  arc 
more  cleanly  and  neat,  notwithstanding  their 
poverty,  than  some  of  their  neighbors.  I  think 
that  they  could  be  civilized  to  some  extent  by 
missionaries.  Being  in  a  remote  part  of  the 
country — no  large  water  courses  passing  within 
their  boundary — they  have  had  but  little  inter- 
course with  tlie  vulgar  trappers  and  traders,  and 
tlieir  character  has  been  less  afl'ccted  by  the 
wliites — for  it  is  a  fact  that  the  wild  savages  are 
rendered  worse  by  contact  with  the  whites  who 
intermarry  with  and  settle  among  them.  This 
tribe  will  number  only  about  800  souls. 

As  it  has  long  been  a  matter  of  interesting 
inquiry,  in  what  matter  the  different  tribes  re- 
ceived their  several  appellations,  I  will  here  give 
one  instance. 

Amongst  the  first  traders  that  visited  this  tribe, 


132 


OREGON. 


was  a  Canadian  of  a  close,  penurious,  niggardly 
disposition.  The  natives  were  not  long  in  dis- 
covering this,  and  made,  in  their  own  language,  a 
derisive  remark  respecting  him,  to  the  eflcct  that 
"the  white  man  had  the  heart  of  an  awl" — 
meaning  that  he  had  a  contracted,  illiberal  dispo- 
sition— the  term  "  awl"  being  used  by  them  as  we 
sometimes  use  the  word  "  pin,"  to  denote  a  very 
trifling  object.  The  interpreter  rendered  the 
^sentence,  "  Cceur  d'Alene,"  greatly  to  the  amuse- 
ment of  the  trader's  companions ;  and  from  that 
day  to  this,  the  tribe  has  been  known  as  the  Cceur 
d'Alene  Indians. 


The  Selish,  or  Flat  Heads,  inhabit  the  country 
around  the  head  waters  of  the  Columbia,  Spokan 
and  Okanagan  rivert:,  and  are  supposed  to  number 
about  5,000  souls.  They  can  hardly  be  said  to 
have  any  regular  form  of  government ;  they  often 
fall  out,  and  have  some  hard  fighting  among 
themselves,  but  thoy  always  look  upon  each  other 
as  belonging  to  the  same  nati(m,  and  if  a  difficulty 
occurs  between  any  portion  of  them  and  another 
tribe,  their  home  grudges  are  lorgotlon,  and  they 
invariably  espouse  the  cause  of  their  own  country- 
men and  join  in  battle  against  the  common 
enemy.  Intermarriages  between  the  diflfercnt 
bands  of  this  tribe  are  quite  common,  and  tlie 
husband  generally  joins  the  l/and  to  which  tlie 
wife  belongs.  This,  pv^rhaps,  proceeds  from  the 
circumstance  that  the   women   do  most  that  is 


INDIANS. 


133 


rcquiivd  for  the  support  of  the  family — digging 
all  the  roots  and  gathering  all  the  berries — and 
being  more  familiar  with  the  root  and  berry 
grounds  pertaining  to  her  own  band,  she  is  better 
able  there  to  provide  for  the  sustenance  of  the 
fairily.  Although  these  women  have  to  do  much 
hard  labor,  they  are  not  treated  harshly  or  bar- 
barously by  their  husbands,  but  are  much  looked 
lip  to  by  them,  and  they  assume  much  authority. 
The  stores  of  food  which  they  provide  are 
considered  their  own,  and  the  husband  seldom 
touches  the  hoard  without  permission  from  the 
wife-  -but  she  is  generally  very  liberal  in  dividing 
with  him.  They  appear  to  have  strong  domestic 
feelings,  and  are  generally  very  aflectionate 
toward  their  children.  It  is  a  peculiar  charac- 
teristic of  these  Indians,  that  they  take  particular 
care  of  the  aged  i^nd  infirm,  who  usually  fare  the 
best  of  all.  There  is,  however,  one  custom  prev- 
alent among  them  that  they  acknowledge  to  be 
an  evil,  but  to  which  tuey  auhere  merely  because 
it  was  an  ancient  custom  with  their  fathers  : — when 
a  man  dies,  leaving  young  children  who  are  not 
able  to  defend  themselves,  his  relations  come  for- 
ward and  seize  upon  his  most  valuable  property — 
particularly  horses  and  cattle — without  any  re- 
gard to  the  rights  of  the  children. 

In  every  band  there  is  a  temporary  cliief, 
not  taking  the  authority  of  other  chiefs,  but 
deriving  his  power  from  iiis  wealth,  intelligence, 
or  valor.    Having,  through  whatever  means,  ac- 


134 


OREGON. 


quired  a  superiority  over  the  rest,  he  is  termed  a 
chief.  His  authority  is  derived  more  from  per- 
sonal influence  than  from  law,  and  is  exercised 
more  by  persuasion  and  reasoning  than  by  com- 
mand. A  man  of  shrewdness  and  determination 
can  exercise  much  power. 

Their  most    severe   mode   of   punishment   I'or 
criminals  is  banishment  for  a  certain  period — ^ 
many   "  moons, "   or   so    many   "  falling  of  the 
leaves,"  the  falling  of  the  leaves  denoting  a  year. 

Their  only  religious  ceremonies  are  mummeries 
performed  by  their  medicine  men  .for  the  purpose 
of  averting  any  evil  by  which  they  may  be  threat- 
ened, or  of  obtaining  some  desired  object,  such  as 
an  abundant  supply  of  food,  or  success  in  war. 
They  appear  to  have  but  little  idea  of  a  Supreme 
Being.  One  of  their  ceremonies  deserves  especial 
mention.  They  regard  the  spirit  of  a  man  as  dis- 
tinct from  the  living  principle,  and  hold  that  the 
spirit  may  be  separated  for  a  while  from  the  body 
without  causing  death  and  without  the  individual 
being  conscious  of  the  loss.  It  is  accessary, 
however,  in  order  to  prevent  fatal  consequences, 
that  the  lost  spirit  be  found  and  restored  as  soon 
as  possible.  The  medicine  man,  or  conjurer, 
learns  by  a  dream,  or  by  something  whispering  in 
his  ear,  the  name  of  the  j)eidon  who  has  lost  his 
spirit.  He  then  informs  tlie  person,  who  is  much 
distressed  at  the  announcement,  often  falling  down 
apparently  lifeless,  for  a  time,  and  who  eagerly 
employs  the  conjurer  to  recover  his  wondering 


I 


INDIANS. 


135 


.'■? 


soul,  which  the  latter  willingly  undertakes  for 
a  consideration — taking  good  care  to  charge  in 
proportion  to  the  means  of  the  distressed  person. 
During  the  day,  the  unhappy  Indian  wanders 
from  tent  to  tent,  singing  and  dancing;  toward 
morning  he  enters  a  separate  lodge  that  is  so 
enclosed  as  to  be  rendered  perfectly  dark.  A 
small  "hole  is  then  made  in  the  roof  of  the  tent, 
through  which  ihe  conjurer  brings  the  departed 
spirit  in  the  shape  of  small  bits  of  bone,  which 
fall  on  a  piece  of  cloth  or  hide.  The  conjurer 
then  enters  the. tent,  strikes  a  light,  and  proceeds 
to  select  out  the  spirit  that  belongs  to  the  person. 
If  he  should  select  the  spirit  of  some  other  per- 
son— one  that  is  really  dead — his  patient  would 
instantly  die.  Having  selected  out  the  proper 
spirit,  through  his  peculiar  good  judgment,  from 
the  many  that  lie  before  him  in  the  shape  of 
splinters  of  bone,  he  places  it  on  the  owner's 
head,  and  pats  it  with  many  gestures  and  invoca- 
tions, until  the  spirit  descends  into  the  heart  and 
resumes  its  proper  place.  When  it  is  restored, 
the  whole  party  unite  in  making  a  public  feast,  at 
wliich  they  all  fare  bountifully  ;  the  remainder 
falling  to  the  sliLrc  of  th3  conjurer. 

The  greater  portion   of  this  tribe  is  in  the 
British  Possessions. 


The  Indians  of  Puget  Sound  and  Vancouver 
Island  are  divided  into  many  small  tribes,  too 
tedious  to  enumerate.     There  are  also  some  largo 


136 


OREGON. 


and  powerful  tribes  on  Vancouver  Island  and 
further  north  on  the  coast  in  the  British  Posses- 
sions— such  as  the  Nootka  Indians,  which  inhabit 
the  country  around  Nootka  Sound,  a  powerful 
i;  ■'  Those  numbers  are  not  known.  The  Ait- 
ZAiii  .  Shoomads,   Newitlies,   Savinards,   Aho- 

WARTZ,    MOWACHES,    SUTSETS,  NeDCHALITS,  MiCHA- 

LiTS,  and  Cayoquits,  are  among  these  tribes,  but 
most  of  them  are  considered  portions  of  the  grea 
Nootka  tribe,  as  they  have  always  been  allies. 
The  principal  village  of  the  Nootkas  is  situated 
in  about  north  latitude  49°  35',  near  Friendly 
Cove.  They  have  huts,  mostly  made  of  brush 
and  mud,  or  poles  and  mud. 

The  Klaizarts  are  a  powerful  tribe,  and  can 
muster  some  two  thousand  warriors. 


The  Carriers  inhabit  the  country  styled  by 
the  English,  New  Caledonia.  This  region  is  well 
watered  by  streams  which  empty  into  Frazier 
river.  The  natives  are  prone  to  sensuality,  and 
chastity  among  the  women  is  unknown  ;  and,  at 
the  same  time,  they  seem  to  be  devoid  of  all 
natural  affection  for  their  offspring.  Their  reli- 
gious ideas  are  very  strange.  It  is  not  known 
that  they  have  any  distinct  idea  of  a  God,  or  the 
existence  of  the  soul.  They  have  priests,  or  doc- 
tors, whose  arts  consist  in  certain  mummeries 
intended  for  incantations.  When  a  corpse  is 
burred — their  usual  mode   of  disposing  of  the 


INDIANS. 


137 


dead — the  priest,  with  many  gesticulations  and 
contortions,  pretends  to  receive,  in  his  closed 
hands,  somcthin<f,  perhaps  the  life  of  the  deceased 
person,  which  he  communicates  to  some  living 
person  by  throwing  his  hands  toward  him  and 
at  the  same  time  blowing  upon  him.  This  person 
assumes  the  rank  of  the  deceased,  and  his  name 
in  addition  to  his  own ;  and  th6  priest  is  always 
sure  to  ascertain  to  whom  this  succession  properly 
belongs.  If  the  deceased  be  a  man,  and  his  wife 
survives  him,  she  is  compelled  to  lie  upon  the 
corpse  while  the  funeral  pile  is  kindled,  and  is  not 
released  from  her  painful  position  until  the  heat 
becomes  beyond  endurance.  When  the  corpse  is 
consumed,  she  collects  the  ashes  and  deposits 
them  in  a  little  tightly-woven  basket,  which  she 
always  carries  with  her  wherever  she  goes.  She 
becomes  the  slave  of  her  deceafibd  husband's 
friends  or  relations,  who  compel  her  to  do  all  the 
hard  labor  that  has  to  be  performed  about  their 
camp,  and  treat  her  with  the  greatest  indignity. 
This  lasts  for  two  or  three  years  ;  at  the  end  of 
this  time  a  feast  is  made  by  all  the  kindred,  and  a 
post,  or  stump,  is  prepared,  ten  or  fifteen  feet 
high,  on  the  top  of  which  is  placed  the  basket 
containing  the  ashes  of  the  deceased  husband, 
where  it  is  allowed  to  remain  until  the  post  de- 
cays and  tumbles  to  the  ground.  After  this 
ceremony  is  over,  the  widow  is  released  from  her 
servitude  and  allowed  to  marry  again. 

Some  of  the  tribes  living  on  the  Northern  coast, 


138 


OREGON. 


between  Queen  Charlotte's  Sound  (in  latitude 
50°)  and  latitude  60°,  difler  very  much  from  the 
other  tribes.  They  have  fair  complexions,  some- 
times with  ruddy  cheeks,  and  thick,  heavy  beards, 
which  appear  on  youths  while  quite  young — many 
of  them  having  heavy  beards  at  eighteen  years  of 
age.  They  are  the  only  full-blooded  Indians  I  have 
ever  seen  having  heavy  beards.  In  other  respects, 
the  physiognomy  is  Indian — the  broad  face,  high 
cheek  bones,  the  opening  of  the  eye  long  and 
narrow,  and  the  forehead  usually  very  low. 

From  the  accounts  given  of  them  by  traders, 
they  are  an  ingenious  people.  There  are  large 
topper  mines  in  the  mountains  bordering  on  this 
ccj'St,  where  copper  can  be  procured  in  almost  a 
pure  state.  These  Indians  make,  of  the  copper, 
many  singular  ornaments,  ingeniously  carved,  as 
well  as  gun  chargers  and  pipes.  The  pipe  is  used 
much  among  them,  for  when  they  cannot  get 
tobacco  they  smoke  the  dried  leaves  of  the  ttva 
ursa,  which  afford  a  very  pleasant  smoke,  espe- 
cially when  mixed  with  tobacco.  This  plant  can 
be  gathered  on  the  Cascade  Jilountains,  where 
it  abounds ;  and  this  is  the  only  part  of  tlie 
United  States  where  I  have  seen  it  growing. 
Near  the  copper  mines  is  found  a  beautiful  species 
of  very  fine,  hard  slate,  of  which  they  make 
plates,  cups,  pipes,  and  many  little  images,  and 
various  ornaments,  wrought  with  an  elegance  and 
taste  that  cannot  be  surpassed  by  any  civilized 
nation.    Their  clothing,  (which  is  generally  made 


i 


fl 


INDIANS. 


139 


of  hides  dressed  with  the  hair  or  fur  on,)  houses, 
and  canoes,  all  show  a  like  ingenuity,  and  adapta- 
tion to  their  climate  and  mode  of  life. 

At  the  same  time,  they  are,  as  all  other  Indians, 
dirty  and  filthy  in  their  habits,  and  of  a  treach- 
erous disposition.  Often,  when  they  have  ob- 
tained the  confidence  of  an  adjoining  tribe,  and 
have  mingled  freely  among  them,  they  will 
stealthily  enter  their  wigwams  during  the  night, 
and  rob  and  murder  the  inhabitants. 


But  little  is  known  of  the  Indians  that  inhabit 
the  extreme  north — as  far  up  as  the  Russian 
Possessions.  The  most  reliable  and  explicit  ac- 
count that  has  fallen  under  my  observation  is 
that  given  by  Lieut.  Brooke,  a  synopsis  of  which 
will  be  found  below  : 

CRUISE  OF  THE   VINCENNES. 

"  The  following  is  a  brief  account  of  tlie  recent  Arctic 
cruise  of  the  Vincenncs,  up  to  the  time  of  her  return  to 
Scnivane  Harbor,  in  Behring's  Straits,  where  the  anxiety 
of  Commodore  Rodgers  for  the  safety  of  Lieutenant 
Brooke's  command  was  relieved  by  finding  the  party  in 
the  enjoyment  of  health  and  security.  It  is  due  to  the 
Russian  government  officers  at  Petropoloski  to  mention, 
that  upon  their  learning  the  nature  of  the  proposed  expe- 
dition of  the  Vincennes,  and  the  intention  of  Commodore 
Pledgers  to  visit  Senivanc,  he  was  courteously  tendered 
the  services  of  an  interpreter  of  the  Tchucchis  dialect,  a 
favor  which  is  acknowledged  in  warm  terms  by  the  officers 
of  Lieut.  Brooke's  party.  In  this  connection,  we  may 
add,  that  the  conduct  of  the  Russian  authorities  at  Petro- 
poloski toward  Americans  visiting  f.nd  residing  in  that 


140 


OREGON. 


!)lace,  is  uniformly  courteous  and  obliging,  as  is  evidenced 
)y  Mr.  Duval,  who  returned  to  this  city  in  the  surveying 
schooner  J.  Fennimoro  Cooper,  after  a  ten  months' 
residence  at  Petropoloski.  The  interpreter  who  accom- 
panied the  Senivane  party  is  a  Siberian.  Ho  returned  in 
the  Vincennes,  and  has  been  placed  in  charge  of  the 
Eussian  Consul  residing  at  this  place,  to  be  sent  home  by 
the  first  opportunity.  His  services  were  exceedingly 
valuable  to  the  expedition,  as  he  is  in  some  degree 
acquainted  with  the  various  dialects  of  the  Indian  tribes 
inhabiting  the  eastern  coast  of  Asia,  and  through  him 
much  information  was  gained  that  otherwise  would  have 
been  lost. 

"In  the  foregoing  portion  of  this  sketch,  some  allusion 
was  made  to  the  peculiar  characteristics  of  the  Tchucchis 
Indians,  particularly  in  regard  to  habits  of  industry,  their 
total  ignorance  of  all  things  beyond  the  present  state  of 
earthly  existence,  and,  most  remarkable,  their  natural  lovo 
of  virtue  as  applied  to  the  female  sex.  This  latter  reality 
seems  hardly  consistent  with  the  general  character  of 
savage  life,  but  it  is  nevertheless  true  of  them,  as  the 
party  from  the  Vincennes  had  many  opportunities  and 
suflBcient  means  of  knowing. 

"  They  depend  almost  entirely  upon  the  hard-earned 
fruits  of  the  chase  for  subsistence,  seemingly  having  but 
little  taste  or  desire  for  the  luxuries  that  might  be 
obtained  from  the  Russians  in  exchange  for  valuable  furs. 
At  rare  intervals,  the  fortunate  captor  of  a  blue  otter 
exchanges  his  prize  for  knives  and  tobacco,  but  further 
than  this  they  appear  to  have  no  desire  to  trade  with  the 
Russians.  Their  principal  article  of  diet  is  whale's  flesh, 
which  they  preserve  for  months  by  simply  burying  it  in 
the  frozen  earth.  They  live  in  communities  usually  con- 
sisting of  four  men  and  their  families.  Having  no  means 
of  warming  their  habitations,  they  sleep  in  hammocks  of 
sufficient  capacity  to  accommodate  a  whole  family.  The 
hammocks  are  composed  of  skins,  and  so  constructed  as  to 
form  very  comfortable  quarters  in  the  coldest  weather. 
Their  government  consists  of  two  chieftains — a  military 
and  a  civil  chief.     During  a  season  when  the  weather  will 


T 


INDIANS. 


141 


not  permit  of  the  chase,  the  war  chief,  who  is  also  chief 
of  the  hunt,  assembles  his  warriors  for  exercise,  and 
sitting  on  the  ground,  ho  directs  their  movements,  which, 
according  to  the  description  given  by  our  informant, 
resembles,  in  every  particular,  the  out-door  performances 
of  the  San  Francisco  Turin- Verien  Society.  This  exer- 
cise is  deemed  necessary  to  health,  and  it  also  serves  to 
keep  men  in  condition  for  the  chase. 

"  Our  informant  relates  some  remarkable  instances  of 
pedestrian  performances  by  the  natives.  On  one  occasion, 
a  party  after  a  day  of  hard  exercises,  accomplished  the 
distance  of  one  and  a  half  miles  in  eight  minutes  over 
rough  ground ;  for  this  feat  they  were  presented  with  a 
plug  of  tobacco  to  be  divided  among  the  party,  and  they 
were  entirely  satisfied  with  the  compensation.  The  dress 
of  the  men  is  made  to  fit  quite  close,  and  from  some 
sketches  in  water  colors,  executed  by  Mr.  Kern,  they 
appear  to  display  a  very  commendable  degree  of  taste  in 
the  fashion  of  their  apparel.  The  war  dress  is  composed 
of  whalebone  and  layers  of  well-dressed  skins,  securely 
fastened  with  the  sinews  of  small  animals,  forming  a  coat 
of  mail  quite  impenetrable  to  an  arrow,  their  only  weapon 
of  warfare,  and  in  fact  the  sole  implement  of  offence  or 
defence,  employed  in  battle  or  in  hunting  by  the  tribes  of 
this  region.  Although  they  havc  a  regularly  dedicated 
cemetery  for  the  dead,  they  do  not  inter  the  bodies,  but 
instead,  the  remains  are  laid  upon  the  surface  and  covered 
with  rocks  to  prevent  their  being  disturbed  by  wild 
beasts.  It  may  be  hardly  necessary  to  state  that  vegeta- 
tion in  this  region  is  exceedingly  sparse.  Mr.  Wright,  the 
botanist,  discovered  some  dwarf  species  of  the  willow, 
♦growing  at  an  average  height  of  one  and  a  half  inches. 
A  considerable  quantity  of  these  "trees"  were  gathered 
and  eaten  as  salad.  Some  other  species  of  timber  were 
found,  none  of  which  exceeded,  when  full  grown,  the 
height  of  two  or  three  inches.  The  scarcity  of  fuel  is, 
perhaps,  the  only  reason  why  the  natives  eat  their  food 
raw  ;  they  seem  to  prefer  cooked  food,  and  will  expend 
much  time  and  exertion  in  the  procurement  of  a  few  dry 
shrubs  with  which  to  build  a  fire. 


142 


OREGON. 


"  Their  favorite  dish  is  a  stew  of  green  herbs  and 
whale's  flesh,  but  as  previously  stated,  their  principal  diet 
consists  of  raw  whale's  flesh  which  they  eat  witli  the  same 
apparent  relish,  when  newly  killed,  or  after  it  has  been 
buried  for  several  months. 

"  Lieutenant  Brooke  endeavored  by  many  devices  to 
awaken  in  the  mind  of  the  old"  Chief  some  ideas  regarding 
the  existence  of  a  Supreme  Being,  the  Creator  of  the 
universe,  and  finally  succeeded,  although  not  without 
having  to  overcome  many  serious  obstacles  in  presenting  a 
theory  to  the  ))erception  of  one  so  utterly  destitute  of 
knowledge  beyond  that  acquired  by  the  exercise  of  mere 
animal  sense.  The  Indian  evidently  became  interested  in 
the  conversation  of  Lieut.  Brooke,  and  one  day  when  they 
had  been  sitting  a  long  time  in  argument  upon  this  sub- 
ject, the  savage  exclaimed  in  a  tone  of  voice  which  suffi- 
ciently indicated  the  birth  of  a  new,  tliough  scarcely 
defined,  thought — "  Good  !  Man  cannot  make  whales." 
Lieut.  Brooke  carefully  followed  up  his  method  of  instruc- 
tion by  simple  illustration,  and  before  he  left  Senivane  ho 
had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  his  labors  on  the 
brain  of  the  old  Chief  had  not  been  thrown  away. 

"During  the  whole  period  of  their  stay  among  the 
natives  of  Senivane,  the  Vinccnnes  party  had  no  evidence 
of  any  intention  on  the  part  of  the  natives  of  the  place  to 
molest  them.  On  one  occasion  a  party  of  whale  hunters, 
belonging  to  a  tribe  living  near  East  Cape,  visited 
Senivane  harbor,  and  some  of  the  party  were  permitted  to 
enter  Lieut.  Brooke's  camp.  After  they  had  remained  a 
sufficient  length  of  time  for  a  thorough  investigation  of  the 
apartment,  they  were  ordered  to  retire,  and  all  but  one,  a 
surly  looking  fellow,  cheerfully  complied  with  the  order. 
The  others  remained  outside,  looking  on  with  great  interest, 
apparently  watching  to  take  sides  with  the  refractory 
Indian  in  the  case  of  intimidation  on  the  part  of  white 
men.  The  moment  was  one  of  intense  interest  to  the 
latter,  surrounded  by  savages,  and  entirely  unprepared  to 
offer  effectual  resistance  in  case  of  an  attack.  The  scene 
was  one  of  short  duration,  however  ;  the  Senivane  Indians 
got  silently  together  on  the  outside  of  the  camp,  but  their 


INDIANS. 


143 


interference  in  behalf  of  the  whites  could  not  bo  counted 
upon ;  and  determining  to  proceed  in  a  manner  which,  if 
successful,  would  leave  a  lasting  impression,  Lieut.  Brooke 
and  Mr.  Kern  deliberately  shouldered  their  rifles,  and  with 
measured  strides  marched  up  to  the  Indian  on  each  side, 
and  seizing  him  liEmly  by  the  shoulder.-,  forced  him  along 
quietly  and  with  military  dignity  and  precision  to  beyond 
the  limits  of  the  camp.  The  Indians  were  then  informed 
that  the  first  man  who  dared  to  cross  tlic  line  defining  the 
limits  of  the  camp,  would  be  instantly  shot  dead.  After 
this  occurrence  there  was  no  more  trouble,  the  Indians 
never  offering  to  come  within  the  prescribed  limits  without 
first  getting  permission.  To  men  of  less  nerve  and  expe- 
rience than  the  party  under  Lieut.  Brooke,  the  exercise  of 
the  moral  as  v'oll  as  physical  courage  necessary  to  over- 
come a  band  of  savages,  treacherous  by  nature,  under 
such  circumstances,  would  be  a  doubtful  undertaking. 
The  former  experience  of  Mr.  Kern  eminently  suited  him 
for  residence  among  the  Indians  at  Senivane.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  Mr.  Kern  was  one  of  Colonel  Fremont's 
party  in  the  overland  expedition  to  California  in  1845. 
The  famous  "  Kern  River"  is  named  after  him. 

"  The  safety  of  the  party  left  at  Senivane  was  perhaps  in 
some  degree  owing  to  the  fact  that  Commodore  liodgers 
threatened  to  destroy  the  place,  if  upon  his  return  he 
should  find  any  cause  of  complaint  against  the  natives. 
This  undoubtedly  had  the  effect  to  keep  them  in  subjec- 
tion at  first ;  but  our  informant  believes  that  after  tho 
many  exhibitions  of  mutual  good  feeling  between  the 
whites  and  the  natives,  an  American  or  any  considerate 
white  man  might  pass  a  Tyhole  life  among  the  Indians  at 
Senivane  without  danger  of  molestation.  One  of  the 
marines  attached  to  Lieut.  Brooke's  party,  was  very  desirous 
of  being  left  among  tho  Indians.  He  stated  his  desire  to 
open  a  school  at  Senivane,  and  instruct  the  natives  in  such 
branches  of  education  as  could  be  made  applicable  to  their 
•understanding.  Commodore  Eodgers  considered  himself 
unauthorized  to  grant  the  request  of  the  marine,  although 
he  Wuuld  have  been  glad  to  embrace  such  an  opportunity 
to  benefit  a  race  of  people  whoso  native  inteUigence  and 


i  ■■ 


144 


OREGON. 


virtue  seem  to  domand  iomo  immediate  exertion  in 
behalf  of  their  enlightenment.  No  greater  opportunity, 
nor  more  favorable,  has  ever  offered  f<>r  missionary  labor  ; 
and  it  is  to  bo  hoped  that  the  subject  will  excite  such 
interest  as  shall  lead  to  the  redemption  of  this  race  from 
the  gloom  of  ignorance.  In  form,  features,  and  moral 
sentiments,  if  tliat  term  may  be  used  in  speaking  of  a 
people  so  benighted,  they  are  greatly  superior  to  many  of 
the  human  races  that  have  received  enlightenment  from 
missionary  teaching,  and  certainly  their  claima  are  equal 
with  the  rest  of  mankind." 


,t 

j! 


it 


In  addition  to  thp  various  tribes  spoken 
many  more  uld  be  mentioned — all  speaking 
different  languages.  It  was  found  by  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company,  and  all  the  early  traders,  to  be 
very  difficult  to  trade  successfully  with  them,  as 
there  was  so  little  uniformity  of  language  among 
them.  Among  such  a  vast  number  of  Indians 
and  tongues,  it  was  found  that  interpreters  were 
not  to  be  procured.  It  was  important  that  some- 
thing be  done,  then,  to  make  a  common  language, 
or  JARGON,  that  would  be  intelligible  to  all  and 
easily  learned.  Accordingly  a  shrewd  Scotchman 
undertook  the  task,  and  soon  prepared  a  jargon, 
that  has  proved  to  be  inimitable  in  its  way.  A 
number  of  Canadian  French  were  then  employed 
by  the  Company  to  learn  this  language ;  these 
wer"^  then  sent  to  the  various  tribes,  and  succeeded 
in  imparting  a  knowledge  of  the  language  to  some 
of  the  members  of  each  tribe  they  visited.  At 
the  present  time,  it  is  spoken,  more  or  less,  by  all 
the  tribes  and  by  all  the  whites  in  that  region. 
The  Scotchman  was  chosen  to  pre^Dare  the  lan- 


t. 


V. 


^-v 


INDIANS. 


145 


guago  on  account  of  the  slirewdncss  and  per- 
severance of  his  race,  and  tlic  Canadian  French 
to  carry  it  to  the  Indians,  from  the  facility  with 
which  they  habituate  themselves  to  the  mode  of 
life  they  were  of  necessity  compelled  to  adopt  in 
the  performance  of  their  mission. 

A  few  remarks  concerning  this  language  will, 
perhaps,  not  bd  ill-timed  ;  and  thr y  will  serve  to 
show  the  ingenuity  and  shrewdness  of  the  Scotch- 
man who  prepared  it.  He  availed  himself  of  his 
knowledge  of  human  nature — that  men,  no  matter 
of  what  race,  prompted,  perhaps,  by  innate  de- 
pravity, will  more  readily  learn,  and  retain  in 
memory,  any  thing  that  is  tainted  with  vulgarity 
or  tinged  with  the  appearance  of  wit  or  eccen- 
tricity— to  prepare  this  jargon  ;  and  we  find  it, 
therefore,  a  compound  of  blackguard  English,  low 
French,  humorous  Spanish,  (words  selected  with- 
out reference  to  their  original  meaning,)  grafted 
on  the  NooTKA  language  as  the  main  root  or 
stock — that  being  the  language  spoken  in  common 
among  the  greatest  number  of  Indians — with  an 
occasional  working  in  of  words  selected  at  random 
from  various  other  Indian  languages.  Thinking 
that  the  reader  might  be  interested  in  knowing 
how  this  JARGON  sounds,  I  have  selected  a  few 
words,  with  their  respective  significations,  which 
may  serve  as  a  fair  specimen  of  the  language ; 


Ten-nes, 
High-ess, 
Cock-sit, 
Pat-lack, 


Little. 

Til-la-cum, 

Man 

Large. 

Clook-e-man, 

Woman 

Broke. 

Rat-lak-tik, 

Brother 

Give. 

Cloocb-e-mup, 

Sister 

146 

OREGON. 

Que-tan, 

IJorsc. 

Waw-waw, 

Talk. 

Moos-moos, 

Cow,  or  Elk. 

Wake, 

No. 

Tip-sy, 

Grass. 

Wake-six, 

No  friend . 

Mo-wich, 

Deer. 

Iknh, 

Myself. 

Eck-foot, 

Hear. 

Nico, 

Yourself. 

Pow, 

Slioat. 

Is'a-nock, 

Look  about. 

Cul-la-cul-la, 

Duck,  or  Goo.sc. 

Close, 

Good. 

High-ess  cul-la 

-cul-la,      Crane. 

Cul-tis, 

Bad. 

Lo-har, 

Salmon. 

Cum-tux, 

Understand. 

Mim-a-lootf, 
Muc-a-muc, 

Dead. 
To  cat. 

Wake  cum-tux,  i 

Don't  under- 
stand. 

Clat-ta-wa, 

Go  away. 

Tum  turn, 

Heart. 

Cha-co,     Come,  or  come  back. 

La-mah, 

Arm. 

Il-la-hc, 

Laiul. 

Scu-cum, 

Strong. 

Chuck, 

Water. 

La-mah  scu-cum. 

Armstrong. 

Salt  Chuck, 

Sea,  or  Ocean. 

Cap-swal-low, 

Steal. 

Ek-icc-raan, 

Money. 

Com-min-na-whit, 

You  lie. 

Si-wash, 

Indian. 

Quash,            Afraid,  cowardly. 

The  writer,  it  will  be  perceived,  does  not 
receive  a  very  euphonious  appellation  in  this 
tongue. 

The  following  table  of  words  most  in  use  in  the 
Nootka  language  will  show  what  relation  the  two 
languages  bear  to  each  other : 


Check-up, 

Man. 

Sic-yah, 

Sky 

Klootz-mah, 

Woman. 

Toop-clth, 

Sea 

Noowexa, 

Fatber. 

Cha-hak, 

Fresh  water 

Hooma-hexa, 

Mother. 

Meetla, 

Rain 

Tanussis, 

Cbild. 

Queece, 

Snow 

Katlahtic, 

Brother. 

Noot-chec, 

Mountain  or  hill 

Kloot-chem-up, 

Sister. 

Klat-tur-miss, 

Earth 

Tanassis-check-up, 

Son. 

Een-nuk-sce, 

Fire  or  fuel 

Tanassis-klootz-mali, 

Daughter. 

Mook-scc, 

Kock 

Tau-hat-se-tce, 

Head. 

Muk-ka-tce, 

House 

Kassee, 

Eyes. 

Wik, 

No 

Kap-se-up, 

Hair. 

Hcho, 

Yes 

Naetsa, 

Nose. 

Kak-koelth, 

Slave 

Parpee, 

Ears. 

Mah-haek, 

Whale 

Chce-chee, 

Teeth. 

Klack-e-mis, 

Oil 

Choop, 

Tongue. 

Quart-lak, 

Sea-otter 

Kook-a-nik-sa, 

Hands. 

Coo-coo-ho-sa 

Seal 

Klish-klin, 

Feet. 

Moo-wateh, 

Bear 

Oophelth,            Sua  or  Moon. 

So-har, 

Salmon 

Tar-tooB», 

Stars. 

Toosch-qua, 

Cod 

4 


INDIANS. 


147 


Pow-ee,  Halibut. 

Kloos-a-mit,  Herring. 

Chnp-atz,  Canoe. 

Oo-wlia-pa,  ratklie. 

Chee-me-na,  A  fisli-hook. 

Cliee-mcn.  Fish-liooks. 

Sick-a  minny,  Iron. 

Toop-hdth,  Cloth. 

Cham-n  ass,  Fruit. 
Cham-niass-  (  Sweet  or  pleasant 

isli,             (  to  the  taste. 

Moot-sus,  Powder. 

Chce-pckcs,  Copper. 

Hah-weks,  Hungry. 

Nec-siM-mcr-hise,  Enough. 
Chic-ta-yek,     Knife  or  Dagger. 

Klick-er-yek,  Rings. 

Quish-ar,  Smoke. 

Mar-met-ta,  Goose  or  Duck. 

Pook-shit-tlc,  To  blow. 

Ecn-a-qui-shit-tle,  \  To  kindle 

^  (    JJ^  fire. 

Ar-tccse,  To  bathe. 

Ma-mook-su-mah,  To  go  to  fish. 
Ar-smootish-  )  . 

check-up,    \         A  warrior. 

Ma-kook,  To  sell. 


Cha-alt-see-klat- 
tur-wah. 


Kah-ah-pah-chilt, 

Oo-nah, 

I-yah-ish, 

Kom-mc-tak, 

I-yce-ma-hak,  i 

Em-me-chap, 

Kle-whar, 

Mac-kam-mah 

sish, 
Kah-ah-coh, 
Sah-wauk, 
Att-la, 
Kat-sa, 
Mooh, 
Soo-chah, 
Noo-poo, 
At-tle-poo, 
At-lah-quelth, 
Saw-wauk-quelth, 
Hy-o, 
Sak-aitz, 
Soo-jewk, 
Hy-e-oak, 


(  Go  off,  or 

(    go  away. 

j     (jive  me 

j  something. 

How  many. 

Much. 

I  understand. 

do  not  ■  nder- 

stand. 

To  play. 
To  laugh. 
j  Do  you  want 
J      to  buy. 

Bring  it. 

One, 

Two. 

Three. 

Four. 

Five. 

Six. 

Seven. 

Eight. 

Nine. 

Ten. 

Twenty. 

One  hundred. 

One  thousand. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 

At  this  point  "•■  must  take  leave  of  the  readcj ,  Following  this 
volume,  I  shall  ?oon  issue  a  History  of  jrn  Indian  War  in 
Oregon,  in  the  course  of  which  I  shall  touoh  upon  matters  that, 
in  some  degree,  pertain  to  the  topics  treated  of  in  *the  present 
•work,  but  which  I  have  deemed  more  appropriate  to  be  mentioned 
in  connection  with  the  War.  Having  been  an  active  participant 
in  tliat  War,  much  concerning  wliich  I  shall  write  fell  under  my 
personal  observation ;  and  for  the  rest  I  shall  draw  upon  tho 
most  authentic  ani  reliable  sources. 


